These Venison Short Ribs are braised in a classic red wine and tomato sauce making them tender and delicious. Make your guests fall in love with wild game.
This venison short ribs post is sponsored by The Honest Bison. All thoughts and opinions remain my own and I’m proud to partner with brands I love. Thanks for supporting the growth of Miss AK!
My oh MY how I love short ribs. The first time I worked with Venison Short Ribs I was super skeptical. They aren’t as meaty or fatty as beef ribs which had me a bit worried.
But, I stuck to my bread and butter with short ribs, which is to sear them off, hard, and braise them for about 2 hours in a super flavorful liquid. Not rocket science, so I wasn’t too hopeful.
BOY, were my socks knocked off. These are absolutely divine. In this recipe, I used venison short ribs from The Honest Bison because I didn’t have ay ribs left from our deer harvest last year. When I pulled them out of the braising liquid, the bones slid right out. This is always a good sign.
I took my first bite right out of the pan and wow. I’ll tell you what WOW. Fall apart tender, flavorful, balanced and not gamey – this recipe is a real winner, friends.
If you’re dying to get some ribs in your freezer, please do yourself a favor and head on over to The Honest Bison and get you some! I like to make short ribs for Christmas Day because I can sear them off and braise them on the 23rd or 24th and just leave them in the pan that they cooked in until I’m ready to heat them up and serve.
When I serve them, I usually do it over a steaming pile of polenta, but risotto or mashed potatoes would be lovely, too. I know you’re going to FLIP over this extra special recipe!
How do you prepare venison short ribs so they aren’t tough?
I have a really hard time removing every last bit of silverskin from the ribs, so I do the best I can. However, on the back of the ribs, I made a small incision, not all the way through, just to break the silverskin and allow the meat to soak up the flavors of the braising liquid. Feel free to comment below if you have questions. I’m here to answer them!
Because deer ribs are smaller than beef, I don’t cut them into individual pieces. I cut them into chunks of 3-4 ribs per chunk and sear them that way. It helps fit everything in the pan, but the meat doesn’t overcook too fast.
What’s in the braising liquid?
This is a very simple and traditional brasing liquid that combines my favorite parts of different recipes I’ve tried. There’s dry red wine (optional, can sub for beef stock), beef or venison stock, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. That’s all!
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe! And, check out my red wine Instant Pot venison pot roast!
Braised Venison Short Ribs
These Venison Short Ribs are braised in a classic red wine and tomato sauce making them tender and delicious. Make your guests fall in love with wild game.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: French American
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Honest Bison Venison Shortribs
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 cup dry red wine ( I used a Cabernet) – optional, sub broth if desired
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups beef or venison broth
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- about 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Begin by prepping the shortribs for cooking. I have a hard time removing the silverskin from the back of deer ribs so make a small incision on the back of the ribs between each rib on the meat, not all the way through, just to break the silverskin. This allows the meat to soak up the flavors of the braising liquid and get tender.
- Then, cut them into pieces of 3-4 ribs per chunk instead of cutting them into individual pieces. It will be easier to sear them and fit everything in the pan, but the meat doesn’t overcook too fast.
- Once you have your ribs prepped, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, or ovenproof skillet over medium high heat.
- Once hot, sear the ribs on each side until they’re truly browned. You may have to work in batches. Set the ribs aside on a place once seared and discard the oil.
- Add the remaining oil into the pot and saute the onions for 5 minutes until they start to brown.
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and dried thyme and cook for 2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine and apple cider vinegar and then add the broth and tomato sauce.
- Bring the liquid to a boil and remove from the heat.
- Add the short ribs back to the pan and make sure they’re all covered with the sauce.
- Place the rosemary on top of the ribs and cover the pan with a lid.
- Slide it into the oven and cook for about 2 hours. The meat should be falling off the bone.
- Serve over polenta, risotto or mashed potatoes!
Nutrition
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1312 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 41 g
- Cholesterol: 122 mg
My husband is a hunter and we have enjoyed several of your venison recipes. We are intrigued with the idea of venison ribs. But we don’t use a game processor—Jim processes the deer in the field and at home himself. But we’ve never had ribs. Can you tell me about processing the ribs? What kind of saw do you use for the bone?
Thanks.
A simple bone saw, hack saw or sawzall will work! You simply cut out the rib portion of the animal and use that. With this, there is no need to go crazy removing sinew. It will cook down. Instead of cutting the ribs apart and grinding the meat between them, just leave it whole!
Excellent recipe ! I usually put a few pieces of celery, carrot, onion and garlic cloves in the pan with the ribs. It adds great flavor and the vegetables work well on the side. I’ve used deer and elk for this recipe.
I dont have a dutch oven. Can I use regular baking dish and cover with aluminum foil? Or maybe use a clay pot with lid ? Thank you.
Hi Kristina! You want to use a pot/dish that you can put into the oven. Enjoy!