McCloud’s Southern Smothered Beef Short Ribs

Juicy, tender beef short ribs smothered in a hearty, tangy, flavorful dark gravy. Comfort soul food at its best made easy. Perfect for a brisk Sunday night dinner.

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Yall listen, these smothered beef short ribs are fiya!!! You hear me? These ribs are a modification of my Grandma Viola’s husband, McCloud’s smothered ribs. And although he didn’t have a actual “recipe”, he always cooked them the same way.

What makes this a good recipe?

• Easy to make: This isn’t a hard recipe! If you’ve spent just a little time in the kitchen, you will knock this out of the park, so don’t worry about messing it up. 
• Quick and simple: It’s not just an easy recipe, but the preparation process is pretty quick. After cleaning the ribs, you season and sear them.
  
  Then you make the gravy, and then bake them for 1 hour and 30 minutes. That process takes a good 20 minutes.
• Hearty: Great dinner for a cold brisky Sunday. This delicious Soul food style Southern gravy with warm you ya up and comfort ya soul. 
• Everyone likes it: You won’t have any problems with people not liking this recipe. Who doesn’t like beef ribs and gravy?
  
  This will be a good choice for any dinner occasion, in my opinion. I’ve never made it and had any complaints. Everyone always enjoys it.

McCloud’s a true Southern OG

My grandma, Viola’s husband, my step-grandpa, McCloud, who y’all might remember me speaking of recently under my Baked Smothered Pork chops recipe, was the epitome of a Southern OG.

He ate fried pork chops and home-fired potatoes for breakfast. Who does that but a Southerner? He also was a big fan of Fatback, and he would make that about twice per week DURING THE MORNING! Lol!

Only old folks from the South eat dinner every morning for breakfast! Lol! But these were just a few things the old man did that epitomized the South.

McCloud’s love for Apple cider vinegar

So what inspired me to share this recipe was its uniqueness. It’s not every day you hear of people making smothered ribs. When you think of Ribs, you think of them baked or grilled and smothered in BBQ sauce.

But McCloud, at least a couple Sundays out of the year, would make smothered beef short ribs with a gravy that had a couple of splashes of vinegar in it, and my grandma and I loved them.

What I loved most about them was the flavor the vinegar gave them and how tender they were. OMG! There were never any leftovers because me and my grandma would devoure them.

But McCloud clearly had a liking for Vinegar he put it in so much. Apple Cider was a frequent smell in our kitchen growing up in my teens. Lol! He said he used it a lot to give dishes flavor and to cut fat.

Listen, if McCloud couldn’t do anything else, he could cook his butt off. My grandma, Val, wasn’t a bad cook herself, but the MEN (he and I) were definitely the cooks in the house, while my grandma and Aunt Pam were just the greedy beneficiaries.

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Sunday dinner was a family tradition

One thing for sure, two things for certain: We ate good every Sunday night after church, and McCloud was going to be the one doing the cooking.

And we didn’t always eat at the dinner table socializing like quote-on-quote normal families about how our day was and what our plans were for the week.

McCloud would cook a good ole dinner, lay everything out on the table, including the dishes and cooking utensils, and we would all serve ourselves when we were ready.

The food would sit there covered on the table until late when he knew everyone had eaten. Then he’d put the food away and store whatever was left in the refrigerator. Lol!

My youngest aunt Val, who lived right around the corner, would even come over and make herself a plate for Sunday dinner. Man, talking about this brings back a lot of good memories.

I really miss those days and having someone who could actually cook dinner for me without me having to do it myself. Lol! Alright, so here are the ingredients you’re going to need for these delicious smothered beef short ribs

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Beef short ribs: These are the kind of Ribs McCloud used, and while they aren’t the meatiness ribs on the planet, they pack so much flavor and are delicious once tender.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This is one of the healthiest oils on the market, and I’ve been using it lately for food I fry for short periods.
• Salt: I kept it simple, gave the meat some taste, and seasoned it with salt.
• Paprika: Paprika is optional and to add a hint of color to the dish.
• Garlic and onion powder: You simply can’t not add garlic and onion to your ribs. Lol!
• Italian seasoning: The best herb seasonings for ribs, it has every major herb in it.
• Thyme: Thyme is good, so a little extra on the ribs won’t hurt.
• Black Pepper: Just like the garlic and onion powder, pepper is a must that makes everything taste better.

For the gravy

• Butter: I added butter to saute the onions and as fat for the gravy.
• Onions: I always add sauteed onions to my gravy.
• Minced Garlic: I added more garlic to add depth of flavor to the gravy. You got to season that gravy too.
• All-Purpose flour: The flour is the thickening agent that thickens the gravy
• Chicken broth: Broth adds flavor to the gravy, as you know. I used chicken instead of beef because Beef broth has a higher sodium content.
• Water: I didn’t want the gravy to be too salty, so instead of using all broth, I split the liquid in half.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Vinegar is McCloud’s game-changing ingredient for the gravy. 

About the Beef Short Ribs

Ok so about the beef short ribs, there are a few things I want to address and will do so one by one.

Facts about beef short ribs

• The main difference between pork ribs: While pork ribs are juicer and meatier than beef ribs, they’re leaner, which means they aren’t as flavorful as beef ribs are. Pork ribs get tender faster so beef ribs will require longer cooking time.
  
• How do beef short ribs look? Beef short ribs are easily recognizable by their 4 separated wide eye-shaped bones. 

Alternatives and variations

• This very recipe can be made using pork spare ribs, you dont have to change anything at all.
• You can use the same beef short ribs and omit the vinegar, and that’ll still be good.
• You can omit the minced garlic, flour, and oil, reduce the vinegar by half, cut the amount of onions and broth by half.
  
  You’ll also replace the Italian seasoning and thyme with sweet and savory seasoning or brown sugar and mustard powder for BBQ ribs.

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Roux vs slurry for gravy + alternative ingredients:

Ok, so there are two ways you can make the gravy for these ribs: using a Roux method or using the slurry method. I’ll explain how to do both and touch on the pros and cons of both.

How to make gravy using the Roux method

So, to make gravy via the Roux method, you will place a skillet over medium heat and add fat (oil or butter). Once melted and or warm, stir in flour.

Let the flour simmer in the fat and darken until it reaches your desired color, then slowly pour and stir in a liquid (water or broth) until you smooth out the flour and the gravy thickens.

What is a slurry?

A slurry is a combination of water and cornstarch or flour that is added to gravy or sauces to thicken it. But it can also be a combination of broth or water and cornstarch or flour that you combine and thicken into a gravy as it bakes or cooks over a skillet.

• Roux Pros: The main benefit of making gravy using the roux method is you can determine how dark you want it by the time you let it cook in the skillet before adding liquid.
• Roux Cons: You can have problems with the taste if you use the wrong oil or burn it. 
• Slurry Pros: It takes less time and is a simple mix and dump!
• Slurry cons: You may have to add things to darken it, like a bouquet or gravy master, and you may not want those flavors.
  
  If you brown your meat prior and bake it in the slurry, you won’t have to worry about that, especially if you’re using a dark liquid like beef broth. 

How to make smothered beef short ribs

1. Remove the excess fat from the ribs, and rinse them with salt water.
2. Place them in a baking dish and season them well.
   
   

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3. Sear them in a skillet with olive oil, then place them back into the baking dish. 
   
   

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4. Preheat oven to 350
5. In the same pan, saute the onions and minced garlic with butter.
   
   

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6. Add in the flour and stir for a few minutes
   
   

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7. Stir in the chicken broth, water, and vinegar, then pour over ribs.
   
   

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8. Cover with aluminum and bake until tender.
   
   

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Tips for best results:

• Marinate for 4-8 hrs before cooking if you can.
• Keep the aluminum foil on all the way through to keep it tender.
• Give the gravy a stir halfway through.

What to serve with smothered beef short ribs?

You have many options! I’ll give you a few vegetable sides that’ll taste great with this and some starch options. You can combine any foods you want, but some things are commonly known to taste superb together.

• Green Beans: These will go well with some green beans, and I have 2 green bean recipes you can find in my vegetable sides category.
  
  

  You can make fresh or frozen green beans, so check both recipes out if you think you want to make these with green beans.

• Spinach: I actually made these with spinach the day I made this recipe and plated it for the recipe photos. Haha! And man, oh man, how could I forget how delicious my frozen Spinach recipe was?
  
  It’s been years since I made it and posted it, but recently I’ve been receiving a lot of comments under it and was wondering why. Well, now I remember how delicious it is!
• Asparagus: You can’t go wrong with Asaparagus! Check out my delicious Sauteed Asparagus recipe from many years ago.
• Rice: Rice goes well with gravy, but we all know that…
• Mashed Potatoes: We also know there is absolutely nothing gravy that goes better with than Mashed potatoes. You might wanna try my delicious creamy garlic mashed potato recipe I shared with yall in 2019.
• Egg noodles: At least common but delicious option is egg noodles. I grew up on these and absolutely love them. Try them out if you haven’t.

Frequently asked questions

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Ok, y’all, leave a comment below and let me know what you think of these smothered beef short ribs. Please like, share, and subscribe as well so you never miss a recipe.

Enjoy, later
Pbj~

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McCloud’s Easy Smothered Beef Short Ribs

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• Author: Philly Boy Jay

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Description

Juicy, tender beef short ribs smothered in a hearty, tangy, flavorful dark gravy. Comfort soul food at its best made easy. Perfect for a brisk Sunday night dinner.

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Ingredients

• 2 to 2.25 lbs Beef Short Ribs
• 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tsps Salt
• 2 Tsps Paprika
• 1 Tsp Garlic powder
• 1 Tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 Thyme
• For the gravy
• 3 Tbs Butter
• 3 Tbs All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Onions, thinly sliced
• 2 Tsps Minced Garlic
• 1 Cup Chicken Broth
• 1 Cup Water
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

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Instructions

1.  Remove any excess fat from the ribs and soak them in salt water, vinegar, or lemon juice, scrub, and then pat dry.
2.  Place the ribs in a dish and season them, then place a skillet over high heat and add in the oil.
3.  Sear on both sides for 3-4 mins, then sit aside in the baking pan.
4.  Chop up the onions and add them to the skillet along with the butter over medium-high heat.
5.  Sear for 2 minutes then add in the minced garlic and stir for another minute.
6.  You can remove the onions or leave them in the skillet and stir in the flour, then stir until it’s no longer white in color, about 2 minutes.
7.  Then stir in the water, broth, and vinegar for about 2 minutes, then pour over the ribs in the baking dish.
8.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 until tender, about 1 hr 30 minutes.

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