Red Wine Braised Bison Short Ribs: A Dutch Oven Recipe

When the temperature drops and the days get short, there's one move that turns an ordinary Sunday into a steakhouse-level night at home: a heavy pot, a bottle of red, and a pile of bison short ribs left alone in the oven until they surrender. This is the braise you make for the people you like most. It's rich, glossy, deeply savory, and it fills the whole house with the kind of smell that pulls everyone into the kitchen before dinner's even close.

Buck Wild Bison short ribs are cut flanken style, across the bone, so you get thick strips of meat with a few small bone pieces in each one. That cut gives you more seared surface per pound and a faster braise than a big English-cut rib. Translation: big flavor, and dinner on the table in about three hours.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Done when: fork-tender, roughly 195-205°F internal

What You'll Need

• 2-2.5 lb Buck Wild Bison Short Ribs
• 1½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp avocado oil or other high-heat oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1½ cups dry red wine (Cabernet, Merlot, or a Malbec you'd drink)
• 2 cups beef or bison stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp butter (to finish the sauce)
• Chopped parsley, for serving

Equipment

• Heavy Dutch oven (5-7 quart) with a lid
• Tongs
• Instant-read thermometer

How to Braise Bison Short Ribs

1. Prep the ribs. Pull the short ribs from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Pat them completely dry, then season all sides with the salt and pepper. Dust lightly with flour and shake off the excess. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. Sear hard. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers. Sear the ribs in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Don't crowd the pot; crowded meat steams instead of searing, and that crust is where the flavor lives. Move the ribs to a plate.
3. Build the base. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt and cook 6-8 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until softened. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more, until the paste darkens to a brick red.
4. Deglaze. Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot clean. Simmer 5 minutes, until the wine reduces by about half.
5. Load it up. Add the stock, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Nestle the ribs back in along with any juices from the plate. The liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the meat. Add a splash of stock or water if needed.
6. Low and slow. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and slide the pot into the oven. Braise 2 hours, then check. The ribs are ready when a fork slides in with almost no resistance and the meat pulls cleanly from the bone, usually 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer will read roughly 195-205°F; that's where the connective tissue has fully melted.
7. Finish the sauce. Lift the ribs onto a warm platter and tent with foil. Discard the herb stems and bay leaves. Skim any fat off the surface, then simmer the liquid on the stovetop 8-10 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat, swirl in the butter, and taste for salt.
8. Serve. Spoon the sauce over the ribs, scatter parsley on top, and bring the pot to the table.

Why Bison Short Ribs Braise Differently Than Beef

Bison is a lean red meat, which is exactly why you treat it with a little respect. Quick-cooking cuts like a bison ribeye shine at 125-135°F for medium-rare and turn tough if you push them. Short ribs are the opposite. They're built from hard-working muscle and connective tissue that needs time, moisture, and gentle heat to break down. Keep the oven at 325°F, not higher, and keep the lid on. A hard boil will tighten the meat; a lazy simmer gives you that silky, pull-apart texture.

If you want the full breakdown of which cuts want a hot pan and which want a long braise, our guide Bison Cuts Explained lays it all out.

Pro Tips

• Make it a day ahead. Braises get better overnight. Cool the ribs in their liquid, refrigerate, then lift off the solid fat cap the next day. Reheat covered at 300°F for 30-40 minutes. Perfect for hosting, because the work is done before guests arrive.
• Cook with wine you'd pour. The sauce reduces and concentrates everything in the pot. A bottle you'd happily drink makes a noticeably better sauce than "cooking wine."
• Serve it over something that catches the sauce. Creamy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or soft polenta. Roasted root vegetables round it out without competing.

Slow Cooker Option

Short on oven space during the holidays? Complete steps 1-4 on the stovetop, then move everything to a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, until fork-tender. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and reduce it as in step 7 for a sauce with real body.

What to Pour and What to Serve

Stay in the same lane as the braise: a bold Cabernet, Syrah, or Malbec stands up to the depth of the sauce. On the side, something bright cuts the richness: a green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, or roasted Brussels sprouts with a squeeze of lemon. For a bigger spread, pair these ribs with our Dutch oven bison pot roast and let guests pick their favorite.

Stock Up for Braising Season

Fall and winter are short rib season, and these go fast. Grab a pack of Buck Wild Bison Short Ribs for this weekend, or fill the freezer with the Big Ol' Box of Bison Short Ribs (about 10 lbs) and you'll have a holiday-worthy braise ready any time the weather turns. Want to braise something different next week? Bison Stew Meat makes a rich, low-and-slow stew using the same technique.

Also in Bison Meat Recipes