Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste over ribs, on both sides. Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add ribs to hot dutch oven and get a nice sear on all sides, flipping them over to brown on all sides. This will probably take about 10-20 minutes. Remove ribs to a plate, set aside.
Lower the heat to medium-low, drizzle the remaining olive oil into the pan, add in the pancetta and onion, cook until the pancetta starts to crisp and the onion is softened, 5-8 minutes. Add in the garlic, cook until it is fragrant, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add in the crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil, add more salt and pepper to taste, return the ribs to the pan. Put the lid on and place the pot in the oven. Let it braise low and slow for 4-5 hours. I like to check at the 4-hour mark to see if it’s falling apart from the bones, trust me, you’ll know when it’s ready.
Once you remove the pan from the oven, let it cool for a little bit. Skim the excess fat off with a ladle and then it will be ready to serve. Serve over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice! Garnish with fresh basil.
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Notes
We like to use bone in short ribs but you can also use boneless.
When you refrigerate before reheating skim the fat off the top and discard.
This recipe an be frozen, see my tips on that above.
A white wine is best for this recipe, so make sure that you use that.
If you are not able to find pancetta then you can absolutely substitute bacon.