Last updated on April 17, 2019

It’s one of the hottest debates in sous vide cooking short ribs: should they cook for 24 or 48 hours? In this post you’ll learn the difference. Plus, learn a delicious sous vide short ribs recipe, made with red wine, onions, garlic and rosemary.

Jump to the bottom to see a video on cooking sous vide short ribs 24 hours vs 48 hours…

Cooking sous vide short ribs in red wine

The temperature for sous vide short ribs is 180 degrees. This is the same temperature for both 24 and 48 hour cooks.

For the red wine marinade, I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon. A smokey Cab from California is an excellent choice. The red wine marinade includes balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.

To assemble the sous vide bag, add the short ribs in one layer. Smother the beef ribs with diced onions, add the red wine marinade, and finish with a sprig of fresh rosemary. Vacuum seal the bag and set it in the sous vide bath.

After the short ribs sous vide, they hit the broiler for a few minutes. This is a great time to make a red wine sauce, which you can find in the recipe directions.

24 hours vs. 48 hours sous vide short ribs

My personal conclusion is that 24 hour and 48 hour short ribs taste VERY similar. As expected, 48 hour sous vide short ribs fall off the bone quite a bit more. The fat breaks down generously with the additional time in the sous vide bath. But, the 24 hour sous vide short ribs are equally as tender.

Time for a short rant.

Do you know how difficult it is to wait  24 hours for dinner? Never mind 48 hours? Especially when lingering scents of garlic, red wine and rosemary fill the kitchen? It’s torture!

If you make these short ribs the night before, you’ll wake up and wish you could eat them for breakfast (mmm with eggs…). But resist! If you can make it past the morning, you’ll go about your day thinking about them. Obsessively. There’s no greater reward to a long day than a delicious dinner.

If you’re looking for something magical to serve with short ribs, check out this recipe for caramelized red onions in red wine. Or this one for sous vide onions in beer. 

After your day, when you open the front door, you’ll get smacked in the face with the scent of red wine marinaded short ribs braising away. At the 24 hour mark, you’ll want to dig into the bag and eat them! That’s why waiting 48 hours feels like torture. Imagine having to smell but not eat them for two entire days!

While 48 hour sous vide short ribs are delicious, going forward I’ll cook mine for 24 hours. Simply because I can’t wait.

Experiment with your own 24 vs 48 hour sous vide short ribs cook-off. Make two bags of this red wine marinade short ribs recipe with one pound of short ribs each. Try one bag at the 24 hour mark. Then try the other bag after 48 hours sous vide. And let me know what you think!

Your sous vide enthusiast, red wine loving, can’t-wait-for-dinner blogger bud, Jenna.

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Sous vide short ribs in red wine sauce (Sip Bite Go)

This sous vide short ribs recipe can cook for 24 hours or 48 hours. In addition to cooking fall off the bone short ribs, the sous vide cooking method creates a delicious red wine marinade that can be turned into a sauce in just a few minutes.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian, Sous Vide

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 day 10 minutes

Total Time 1 day 25 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 1175 kcal

Author Jenna Passaro

Ingredients

• 2 LB Short ribs
• 1 red onion
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp garlic
• S&P
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp cilantro optional

Instructions

1. Set sous vide machine to 180 degrees. Create a marinade with red wine, balsamic vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper.
2. Prepare and vacuum seal the sous vide bag with short ribs, onions, red wine marinade and rosemary.
3. Sous vide short ribs at 180 degrees for 24 hours or 48 hours.
4. Once sous vide cooking is complete, remove short ribs from the bag and broil them in the oven on high. Retain the red wine marinade to make a red wine sauce. For best results, seperate the red wine marinade from fat by pouring it into a glass and storing it in the freezer until the red wine and fat separates.
5. Make the red wine sauce. Pour 1 cup of red wine marinade into a pan. Add butter and continue stirring until it makes a thick red wine sauce.
6. Pour red wine sauce on short ribs, sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

I’d love to see your sous vide skills! Tag your sous vide short ribs with @sipbitego on Instagram.

Nutrition Facts

Sous vide short ribs in red wine sauce (Sip Bite Go)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1175

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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