First Step: Preheat and Prep Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Wash and chop the onion, celery, and carrots. Crush the garlic cloves. Arrange all ingredients for easy access before cooking.

Second Step: Season and Sear Ribs Pat dry the beef short ribs and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof pot over high heat. Add half the short ribs and brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Remove browned ribs and repeat with the remaining ribs.

Third Step: Sauté Aromatics Reduce heat to medium. In the same pot, add chopped onion and crushed garlic. Sauté for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Add chopped carrots and celery. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes until carrots soften and release sweetness.

Fourth Step: Build Braising Liquid Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to eliminate raw flavor. Pour in dry red wine and beef broth. Add thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir to dissolve tomato paste, scraping up browned bits from the pot for flavor.

Fifth Step: Return Ribs and Start Braising Place the seared ribs back into the pot, arranging them so they are mostly submerged in the liquid. Top with more water if necessary. Cover pot tightly with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven.

Sixth Step: Slow Braise Until Tender Cook for about 3 hours, or until the meat becomes fork-tender and easily pulls from the bones. Check occasionally to ensure the ribs remain mostly submerged in liquid.

Seventh Step: Sauce Finishing Carefully remove ribs and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve, pressing vegetables to extract flavor. Return liquid to the pot and simmer to reduce or thicken as desired. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Final Step: Serve Plate the tender braised beef short ribs, spoon the rich red wine sauce over top, and serve with your choice of sides like creamy mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.