American braise · main · medium
Blood Orange Glazed Short Ribs
Wine-braised short ribs finished under a lacquered blood orange and star anise glaze.
Fall-apart short ribs braise low and slow in red wine with star anise and cinnamon, then get lacquered under a blood orange glaze that reduces to a deep, near-black shine. The citrus cuts the richness, the spices nod at Halloween, and the sauce is the kind you spoon over mashed potatoes without apology. Make it a day ahead — it only gets better.
Ingredients
two bone-in ribs per person with pan sauce and a mound of mash
Short Ribs
Braise
Blood Orange Glaze
Instructions
- 1
prep
Season the ribs with kosher salt 30 minutes ahead, then pat the surface dry again and dust with pepper.
Doneness cue: Surface is tacky, never wet — wet meat steams instead of searing.
- 2
cook
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Sear the ribs on all four sides, working in two batches, until deeply browned — about 3 minutes per side.
Doneness cue: Mahogany crust on every face; if it is merely tan, keep going.
- 3
cook
Set the ribs aside. Drop the onion, carrots, and garlic into the rendered fat and cook 4 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.
Doneness cue: Paste darkens from red to brick — that is the flavor converting.
- 4
cook
Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon until every brown bit is loose. Add the stock, star anise, cinnamon stick, thyme bundle, and soy sauce.
Doneness cue: Pot bottom is clean; liquid smells like mulled wine.
- 5
cook
Return the ribs (bone side down — they should be half-submerged), bring to a bare simmer, cover, and transfer to a 325°F oven for 2.5–3 hours.
Doneness cue: A fork twists cleanly in the meat with almost no resistance at 2.5 hours.
- 6
prep
While they braise, whisk the blood orange juice, zest, honey, and balsamic together in a small bowl and refrigerate.
Doneness cue: Glaze base is dark crimson and loose — it reduces later.
- 7
finish
Lift the ribs to a plate. Strain the braising liquid into a wide skillet, add the blood orange mixture, and reduce over medium heat until it coats a spoon — 12 to 15 minutes.
Doneness cue: Glaze pulls a clean line across the spoon; you have about 1 cup.
- 8
finish
Whisk in the cold butter cubes one at a time, taste, and glaze the ribs. Slide them under the broiler for 2–3 minutes until the lacquer bubbles at the edges.
Doneness cue: Glaze blackens slightly at the bone ends — that caramelized edge is the point.
- 9
serving
Spoon extra glaze over each rib, sprinkle flaky salt, and serve over brown butter mashed potatoes with a bitter green salad.
Doneness cue: Serve immediately — the lacquer dulls as it cools.
Pairings
Drink · Syrah or a dark rum old fashioned after dinner
Side · Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes and arugula with lemon
Per serving (est.)
calories 690 · proteing 46 · carbsg 21 · fatg 44
Approximate — short-rib marbling varies; sauce counts on every rib here.
Shop the Kitchen
Everything used in this recipe · Amazon Associate links
6-quart Dutch oven
essentialHeavy enameled cast iron sears and braises in one vessel — stovetop to oven with no transfer.
Instant-read meat thermometer
essentialShort ribs are done at 200–205°F internal; probing beats guessing on a two-and-a-half-hour braise.
Fine-mesh strainer
essentialStraining the braise into the glaze is what makes the sauce clean, glossy, and spoon-coating.
Fish turner / slotted spatula
nice-to-haveGets under a fragile braised rib without shredding it when moving to the broiler.
Microplane zester
nice-to-haveBlood orange zest is half the story of the glaze — a microplane keeps it fine and oil-releasing.
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