Ask Chef Dennis

  • Recipe Index
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
×
Home » Recipes » Beef Recipes

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Ribs

Published: Apr 1, 2022 by Chef Dennis Littley

2.2k
SHARES
Facebook2.2kPinterestFlipboard
Jump to Recipe

Guinness Beef Ribs (aka beef short ribs) are one of the easiest dishes to make in your slow cooker.

No slow cooker? No problem you can make these delicious fall off the bone short ribs in a crock pot, dutch oven on the stove or in your oven in a covered roasting pan.

fork taking piece of fall apart meat from short rib on a bed of mashed potatoes


 

These fall off the bone short ribs can be served whole or you can slide the bone out of the meat to make boneless short ribs. The best part is all you need is a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, a can or bottle of Guinness (or your favorite beer) and a few basic pantry ingredients to make these

I like making a double batch and using the leftover short ribs to make tacos, sandwiches or my personal favorite, short rib mac and cheese!

If you’re looking another delicious slow-cooker beef recipe my friend Maggie has the best Birria de Res (Mexican Beef stew)Recipe.

Table of Contents:
  • What Ingredients do I need to make Guinness Beef Ribs?
  • How do I make Guinness Beef Ribs?
  • Do I have to use barbecue sauce?
  • Do I have to use Beer to make Beef Ribs:
  • Can I cook Beef Ribs in an Instant Pot?
  • Recipe FAQ’s:
  • More Rib Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Ribs

What Ingredients do I need to make Guinness Beef Ribs?

Ingredients to make beef short ribs

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Short Rib Recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

How do I make Guinness Beef Ribs?

four images showing how to cook guinness beef ribs in a slow cooker
  • Add the chopped onion and garlic with olive oil in your slow cooker on the saute setting, allow to cook for a few minutes.
  • Add the ribs to the slow cooker on top of onions and season them with sea salt and black pepper.
  • Add in all of the remaining ingredients, turning your slow cooker to low.
  • Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Do I have to use barbecue sauce?

If you’d rather not use barbecue sauce, you can substiture a 6 ounce can of tomato paste and a teaspoon of worcestershire sauce instead, along with the beer, beef broth and seasonings.

sauce from guinness ribsin pot
  • When the ribs are done, remove them from the slow cooker pouring the sauce from the slow cooker into a saucepan.
  • Skim off the excess grease from the liquid and reduce the liquid in the saucepan over medium-high heat until the sauce has thickened slightly (feel free to add more barbecue sauce at this point).
beef ribs on a white plate with sauce in a ramekin

Do I have to use Beer to make Beef Ribs:

No, you don’t. If you don’t have any beer on hand or prefer a non alcoholic version you can use root beer, Dr. Pepper or your favorite cola instead of beer.

It won’t be exactly the same but you shouldn’t notice much of a difference in the flavor. The short ribs may have a touch of sweetness from the soda but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Guinness beef ribs on a bed of mashed potatoes on a white plate

Just follow my simple instructions and prepare yourself for moans and groans from the table as your friends and family devour these ribs.

Can I cook Beef Ribs in an Instant Pot?

Yes, you can also make these ribs in an instant pot. Follow the recipe up to including all the ingredients. Close the instant pot, choose the manual high pressure function and set it to high. Cook the short ribs for 45 minutes, followed by a 10 – 15 minute natural release. Reduce the sauce on stove top or in your instant pot.

This recipe will also work with pork ribs.

Recipe FAQ’s:

What should I serve with Beef Ribs?

I love sauteed or steamed greens with my ribs and my favorite starches are mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese. And of course, barbecue staples such as potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw or corn on the cob are always good choices.

What is the difference between beef ribs and short ribs.

Beef back ribs are the long, curved beef ribs that sometimes have a long bone exposed. They are sold as individual pieces or a rack of 7 bones.

All short ribs are from a rib section that contains three to four ribs. Depending on where the ribs are cut from, they can be three to five inches thick, and will contain meat interspersed with a lot of muscle, fat, and tendon. This gives them a lot of strong beefy flavor and cooked properly, will be a very tender and juicy cut of meat.

Can I overcook ribs in a slow cooker?

You sure can. That’s why its a good idea to check on them an hour before they should be ready. Everyones slow cooker is a little different and times can vary depending upon the heat settings.

More Rib Recipes You’ll Love!

  • braised short ribs of beef on a white platter with sauce
    Red Wine Braised Short Ribs {Slow Cooker}
  • Barbecued short ribs in a white casserole
    Baked Beef Short Ribs Recipe
  • close up of slow cooker bbq ribs on white plate
    Easy Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs
  • overhead view of barbecued half racks of baby back ribs on a white platter
    Easy Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs

Guinness beef ribs on a bed of mashed potatoes on a white plate

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Ribs

Chef Dennis Littley
I love my slow cooker and I love beef ribs.  So when I decided to cook up a bunch of these "fall off the bone ribs" with Guinness my favorite Irish beer I knew I'd have a winner!   And don't worry if you can't have alcohol, just replace the beer with Root Beer or Dr. Pepper.
4.82 from 93 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 hours hrs
Total Time 8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course Entree
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 983 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 5-6 pounds beef ribs
  • 12 ounces Guinness beer or your favorite beer, root beer, dr. pepper, or cola
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1½ cup barbecue sauce

Instructions
 

  • Add chopped onion and garlic with olive oil in your slow cooker on the saute setting, allow to cook for a few minutes.
  • Add ribs on top of onions and season them with sea salt and black pepper.
  • Add in all of the remaining ingredients, turning your slow cooker to low.
  • Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
  • When ribs are done, remove them from the slow cooker pouring sauce from the slow cooker into a saucepan.
  • Pour off excess grease from liquid and reduce liquid in the saucepan over high heat until the sauce has thickened slightly.
  • Serve sauce over ribs and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 983kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 81gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 244mgSodium: 3240mgPotassium: 1879mgFiber: 1gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 242IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 10mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

https://sovrn.co/6ungo6u

Comments

    4.82 from 93 votes (81 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Donna Wendel says

    January 04, 2025 at 8:05 pm

    5 stars
    These ribs are crazy good, I have made these a few times now. Tomorrow I will make the oven bbq ribs, can’t wait. Thanks for sharing your recipes.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      January 05, 2025 at 8:55 am

      You’re very welcome! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed slow cooker ribs and I hope you enjoy the oven baked ribs as much.

      Reply
  2. Tina says

    October 28, 2023 at 12:57 am

    This looks amazing – what are the instructions for dutch oven on stove top or oven please? I don’t have a slow cooker! Love your recipes Chef D! Thank you

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      October 28, 2023 at 7:06 am

      You can follow the same instructions for stove top in a Dutch oven up to the point of cooking. It should only take 2 1/2 – 3 hours on stove top simmering. I also have an oven recipe you can use -> https://www.askchefdennis.com/bbq-beef-ribs/

      Reply
  3. Maggie says

    October 21, 2022 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    The meat was so delicious, soft and tender. My entire family loved it! We even had seconds and had no leftovers. lol.

    Reply
  4. KayKay says

    May 22, 2022 at 8:32 am

    5 stars
    This dish was delicious and so easy. I didn’t change a thing. I thought 5-6 lbs of meat was a lot to serve 4 people, but it really cooked down. The meat fell off the bone and was super tender. There was a lot of grease, so be sure so skim it off before reducing the liquid. I used a spicy bbq sauce so it had a really nice kick. Served it with corn on the cob and tabbouleh. It’s a winner dinner! Thanks, Chef!

    Reply
  5. Dianne Lundquist says

    March 14, 2021 at 11:30 am

    I didn’t make this yet,but I was thinking of cornbeef with cabbage and potatoes. Any suggestions on that meal?

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      March 14, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      That’s not something I have made yet Dianne. But my friend Katerina at Diethood has a great recipe that friends have made -> https://diethood.com/corned-beef-cabbage-recipe/

      Reply
  6. Shona says

    October 27, 2020 at 7:47 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing!!

    Reply
« Older Comments


My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

More about me →

Fan Favorites

  • overhead view of barbecued half racks of baby back ribs on a white platter
    Easy Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs
  • sliced meatloaf with the rest of meatloaf on a white platter
    Classic Meatloaf Recipe with Zesty Glaze
  • shredded cabbage mixed with coleslaw dressing in a glass bowl.
    Easy Homemade Coleslaw Recipe
  • Banana bread sliced on a cutting board.
    Banana Bread Recipe
  • chicken parm with pasta on a white plate
    Chicken Parmesan Recipe
  • seasoned crispy chicken legs on a foil wrapped tray
    Baked Chicken Legs

Featured In

Collage showing where Ask Chef Dennis has been featured.

Footer

↑ back to top

INFO

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Policy

SUBSCRIBE

Sign Up Today and start getting my easy-to-make restaurant-quality recipes!

CONTACT

  • About
  • Contact

© 2009-2025 · Ask Chef Dennis · 30 N. Gould Street, STE 7204, Sheridan, Wyoming, 82801

Proud Member of:
Mediavine Publisher Network

Let's Get Social

Pinterest Facebook Flipboard Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.