Maple Bourbon Glazed Short Ribs (Printable)
Tender beef short ribs braised in rich maple-bourbon sauce until falling off the bone.
# What You Need:
→ Beef
01 - 3.3 lbs beef short ribs, bone-in
→ Vegetables & Aromatics
02 - 1 large yellow onion, chopped
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
04 - 2 celery stalks, chopped
05 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
→ Glaze & Sauce
06 - 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
07 - 1/3 cup bourbon whiskey
08 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free if needed)
09 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
10 - 2 cups beef stock
11 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
12 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
13 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 1 teaspoon black pepper
15 - 1 teaspoon salt
16 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
# How-To:
01 - Preheat the oven to 325°F.
02 - Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and black pepper on all sides.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the short ribs on all sides until deeply browned, about 3–4 minutes per side. Remove meat and set aside.
04 - Add onion, carrots, and celery to the same pot. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 additional minute until fragrant.
05 - Add tomato paste, stirring constantly for 1–2 minutes to deepen flavor. Deglaze with bourbon, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Cook for 2 minutes until slightly reduced.
06 - Stir in maple syrup, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, and beef stock. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer.
07 - Return the seared short ribs to the pot, nestling them into the sauce and vegetables, ensuring meat is mostly submerged.
08 - Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Braise for 2.5–3 hours or until meat pulls easily from the bone.
09 - Remove the lid for the final 30 minutes of cooking to allow the sauce to reduce and the glaze to caramelize and thicken.
10 - Transfer ribs to a serving platter and cover loosely to keep warm. Skim excess fat from the surface of the sauce and simmer on stovetop if further thickening is desired.
11 - Serve ribs drizzled generously with the reduced maple-bourbon glaze. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The maple-bourbon glaze creates this sticky finger-licking situation that people literally talk about for weeks afterward
- These ribs make you look like a restaurant chef while requiring almost zero active cooking time
02 -
- Dont rush the searing step—those browned bits on the bottom of the pot are pure flavor gold
- The sauce might look thin when you first put it in the oven, but it reduces down into something incredible
03 -
- Make these a day ahead—the flavors deepen and you can easily skim off the hardened fat from the top
- Leftovers shred beautifully for sandwiches or over rice the next day