Description
Slow Cooker Short Rib Sauce with Bucatini is a rich and hearty Italian-inspired dish featuring tender, slow-cooked beef short ribs in a luscious tomato and red wine sauce, perfectly paired with bucatini pasta and topped with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. This comforting recipe is ideal for an easy, delicious meal with deep flavors developed over hours of slow cooking.
Ingredients
Meat and Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 8 beef short ribs
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
Tomato Base and Liquids
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 cup red wine
Herbs and Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Finishing Ingredients
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for topping
- 1 pound bucatini pasta, cooked
Instructions
- Sear the short ribs: Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat and add canola oil. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, then lightly coat them with flour. Add the short ribs to the pot in batches if necessary and sear each side until golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove the seared short ribs and transfer them to the slow cooker.
- Prepare sauce in slow cooker: To the slow cooker with the ribs, add chopped mushrooms, onion, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, beef stock, and red wine. Stir in dried oregano and fresh thyme sprigs. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and cook on low heat for 8 hours to allow flavors to deeply develop and meat to become tender.
- Shred the meat and finish sauce: After 8 hours, carefully remove the short ribs with kitchen tongs and keep the sauce covered. Let the ribs cool slightly until safe to handle. Remove beef meat from the bones and return the shredded meat to the slow cooker. Stir in brown sugar, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Continue cooking on low heat for an additional hour. Remove thyme sprigs before serving.
- Season and serve: Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper as needed. Serve the short rib sauce over cooked bucatini pasta. Top generously with extra grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for added richness and flavor.
Notes
- Searing the short ribs before slow cooking enhances flavor and texture.
- Use good quality red wine for best taste in the sauce.
- Be careful removing bones from short ribs; the meat should be very tender after slow cooking.
- Adjust the seasoning slowly at the end as slow cooking can concentrate flavors.
- Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Make sure the bucatini pasta is cooked al dente to provide the best texture contrast with the rich sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
