There is almost nothing like some fabulous slow cooker molasses short ribs for dinner – when you add in the sweet, heavy tang of molasses these short ribs become one amazing dinner!
Slow Cooker Short Ribs with Molasses
Yes, I like short ribs lately. A lot. I am in love with these meaty little tidbits of happy. I really like the braised short ribs that I made before, but wanted something with a little more flavor, short ribs with a sauce that was robust and satisfyingly thick on a bed of white rice. This recipe is one that my mom has used time and time again for short ribs – she wasn’t much of an oven braising kind of cook. While I do prefer to braise short ribs in the oven to get the lovely browning and depth of flavour that only comes with oven braised ribs, making slow cooker short ribs is not an option that should be scoffed at.
What are short ribs?
Short ribs are small pieces of beef taken from the brisket, chuck or rib areas of beef cattle. The actual piece of short rib will consist of a short portion of the rib bone, which is surrounded by chuck/blade steak type meat. All of the meat surrounding the literal “short rib” is tough and requires a long, slow cooking time in order to bring out the best qualities in the meat. Short ribs are NOT a fast cooking cut of beef, so take that into consideration when it comes down to you choosing to cook them.
How long do short ribs take to cook in the slow cooker?
This is a hard question to answer, because it will vary on the type of meat that is surrounding the rib bone. It will take a minimum of 3-4 hours on high and 6-8 hours on low, but you if get short ribs that are thicker or are exceptionally sinewy or fatty, they will need longer to break down into the buttery goodness that short rib meat ends up being. Like I said above, short ribs are not a meat to rush into and hope you can cook them in an hour!
How do you eat short ribs?
I prefer for aesthetics and ease to serve the short rib on the bone as shown in the photos. It looks better and it also allows the person eating it to pull apart and eat the pieces that they want, instead of you shredding it off the bone and plating it for them. They are NOT a finger-food like other ribs though, make no mistake! They are huge chunks of ribs and meat meant to be attacked with a fork and knife.
If you need some other great slow cooker dinner recipes, try:
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
Molasses Slow Cooker Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 packages of beef short ribs, 2 large ribs to a package
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup flour
- 5 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1400 millilitre can of tomato sauce
Instructions
- Place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add in the butter and melt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper and flour. Dredge the short ribs through the mixture, coating well until they are covered.
- Fry the short ribs in the skillet until they are browned on the outside. Place them in the bottom of a large slow cooker.
- Mix up your sauce now – the molasses, tomato sauce, onion powder and vinegar, then pour it over the ribs. I always seal my crockpot to keep in moisture, tinfoil between the top and the lid, the tinfoil seems to help heat and moisture-wise.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours, then they just literally fall off the bone! Serve on a bed of rice and use the sauce on the rice as well.
Notes
Nutrition
Kelly Eaglesham says
Do you have an approximate weight for the ribs? A Package can mean a lot of things!
Danielle Boyd says
Will you be doing a savory cookbook in the future?
The Kitchen Magpie says
The next one is a mixture of desserts and meals!
Danielle Boyd says
Oooohhhhh yay!!!!!!! Awesome! Do you have a release date yet?
The Kitchen Magpie says
Danielle Boyd just finishing up the details!
Donna M Tank-Bucsis says
Sounds good will have to try