Beef Short Rib Buns

Name: Beef Short Rib Buns
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h
Yield: 8 buns

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roubashahin.com.au

Burgers & Sandwiches Mains

Fall-apart beef short ribs, creamy slaw and soft buns — these sliders disappear fast in my house!

PREP TIME

20 minutes

COOK TIME

3 hours

SERVES

8 buns

About this recipe

There is something about beef short rib buns that brings everyone to the table before I have even finished assembling them. The beef cooks low and slow in the oven until it falls off the bone, then it gets shredded through all those rich braising juices and piled into soft brioche buns with a creamy, crunchy coleslaw. It is the kind of food that makes people hover in the kitchen — and honestly, I love that.

What’s more, this is one of those recipes that does all the hard work for you. Once the ribs are seared and everything goes into the pot, the oven takes over for a few hours while you get on with your day. These buns actually grew out of my original Slow-Cooked Beef Short Ribs recipe — the one I love serving with crusty bread to mop up all those braising juices. One day I shredded the leftovers into buns with coleslaw, and honestly, they have never made it to the table any other way since. If you love slow-cooked, shred-it-yourself beef like my Lebanese Beef Shawarma, this one belongs in your rotation too.

Best of all, the beef actually tastes better made ahead, so this has become one of my go-to recipes for entertaining — all I do on the day is warm the beef, toss the slaw and let everyone build their own. This recipe makes 8 generous full-size buns, which is exactly how we eat them at home — I would not dare serve sliders here, my kids would treat those as a snack! That said, if you are entertaining, the same amount of beef stretches beautifully to around 16 sliders on smaller buns — just as messy, just as good.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

1.5 to 1.8 kilograms beef short ribs
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 carrots, peeled and roughly cut
2 celery stalks, roughly cut
500 ml water
500 ml passata (tomato puree)
3 bay leaves
A few sprigs of thyme

For the Coleslaw

4 cups white cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded
¼ red onion, finely diced
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon chicken stock powder
½ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
Salt to season

To Serve

8 soft brioche buns

Notes from Rouba

Ask your butcher for meaty short ribs — the more meat on the bone, the better your sliders will be.
I only use Kewpie mayonnaise in the coleslaw — it makes it extra creamy — but any whole-egg mayonnaise works.
The beef can be made a day ahead. Keep it in its braising liquid in the fridge and it will taste even better the next day.
Dress the coleslaw just before serving so it stays crisp and creamy

Method

Step 1. Sear the Short Ribs

Preheat your oven to 170°C (fan-forced) (190°C conventional) (340°F). Season the beef short ribs generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat — one that goes straight from the stove to the oven is ideal. Sear the short ribs on all sides until they are evenly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Step 2. Build the Braise

Add the onion and garlic to the pot and toss for a minute or two until they soften slightly. Add the carrots, celery, water, passata, bay leaves and thyme, then cover the pot with foil or a tight-fitting lid.

Step 3. Slow Cook the Beef

Transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and comes away easily from the bone. Remove the ribs from the pot, discard the bones, and shred the meat. Spoon over some of the braising liquid oil to keep it juicy.

Step 4. Make the Coleslaw And Assemble

Place the white cabbage, red cabbage, red onion and parsley in a bowl. Sprinkle over the chicken stock powder, add the mayonnaise and toss everything together until well coated. Season with salt.

Halve the brioche buns and pile the shredded beef onto the bases. Top generously with the coleslaw, place the bun lids on top and serve while the beef is warm.

A FEW THINGS YOU'LL WANT TO KNOW

Can I make the beef ahead of time?
Yes — and I actually recommend it. Cook and shred the beef the day before, store it in its braising liquid in the fridge, and gently reheat it on the stove before serving. The flavour deepens beautifully overnight.

Can I cook this in a slow cooker instead?
Absolutely. Sear the ribs and soften the onion and garlic on the stove first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat falls off the bone.

What buns work best for these sliders?
Soft brioche buns are my favourite because they soak up the juices without falling apart. Milk buns work beautifully too — anything soft and slightly sweet.

Do I have to use Kewpie mayonnaise?
Not at all. Kewpie is just my preference because it makes the slaw extra creamy, but any whole-egg mayonnaise you love will do the job.

Can I freeze the leftover beef?
Yes. Freeze the shredded beef in its braising liquid in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove.

What if I don't have a pot that goes from stove to oven?
No problem at all. Sear the short ribs and soften the onion and garlic in a large frying pan on the stove, then transfer everything — the ribs, vegetables and all the liquid — into a deep oven-safe baking dish. Cover it tightly with foil so no steam escapes, and cook as directed. The beef will come out just as tender.

Why did you make these as full-size buns instead of sliders?
Two reasons — and I will be honest about both. Slow-cooked short rib is rich, juicy and completely worth building a proper bun around, so I wanted something you can really sink into, not something gone in two bites. And in my house, sliders simply do not stand a chance — my kids would treat them as a snack and the whole batch would disappear before dinner! That said, if you are entertaining, this same amount of beef stretches beautifully to around 16 sliders on smaller buns. Same recipe, same beef — just choose the size that suits your table.