Easy Keto Carnivore Braised Short Ribs
Published August 15, 2020 • Updated June 8, 2026
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Tender, fall-off-the-bone carnivore braised short ribs slow cooked in a Dutch oven with nothing but salt and chicken bone broth. I've made these dozens of times and the 30-minute salt rest before searing is what gives them that deep, dark crust.
I started making these back when I went full carnivore for a few months, and they became one of those recipes I kept coming back to even after I loosened up. The whole thing is just meat, salt, and broth. That’s it. And somehow after two hours in a 325 degree oven, you get fork-tender beef that falls right off the bone with a braising liquid so rich you’ll want to drink it straight (I have, more than once).
The chicken bone broth throws people off. I get it. But here’s what I’ve learned after testing both: two hours in, it’s not chicken broth anymore. It melds with the beef fat and the rendered collagen into something deeper. Beef broth works too, and I go back and forth depending on what I have open in the fridge. But don’t skip the broth for water. The body it adds to the finished dish is everything.
What makes this different from most braised beef recipes is the simplicity. No wine, no tomato paste, no aromatics pile. If you’re eating keto and low carb, that matters. You get all the depth from the Maillard crust you build during the sear and the slow breakdown of connective tissue in the oven. That’s where the flavor lives. If you love simple, deeply beefy cuts like my carnivore smoked beef ribs or a grilled dry aged tomahawk steak, this hits the same note but with that slow-cooked, falling-apart texture.
I’ve pushed my braise time to 3.5 hours before and they were even more tender. The meat practically dissolved. If your short ribs are on the thicker side, don’t be afraid to go past the two hour mark. Check at 1.5 hours and keep going until a fork slides through with zero resistance. Reader Fatima mentioned she let the salt sit the full 30 minutes before searing and got “this crazy dark crust that smells like a steakhouse.” I’ve had the same experience. Rushing the salt rest gives you a decent sear. Giving it the full 30 gives you something completely different.
One thing the recipe doesn’t mention that I want to add: save the braising liquid. After the ribs come out, I set the Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat and let it reduce by about a third. It turns into this glossy, beefy dripping sauce that I pour right over the top. It’s also incredible the next day spooned over leftover meat. These reheat beautifully, too. Stick them back in the Dutch oven with the liquid at 300 degrees, covered, for about 30 minutes. The collagen in the broth keeps everything moist. I make double batches specifically because leftover braised beef might be better than fresh, and it works the same way I handle my keto pulled pork leftovers. If you want something quicker on a weeknight, my slow cooker pork ribs are more hands-off.
How to Make Carnivore Braised Ribs in a Dutch Oven
The whole process comes down to three things: a proper salt rest, a hard sear, and a patient braise. I salt mine a full 30 minutes before searing. I rushed it once and the crust was just fine, not that deep golden brown you want. The full 30 minutes lets the salt draw out surface moisture, which is what gives you that dark steakhouse sear.
For the sear, you need a fat that can handle high heat. I rotate between tallow and lard. Duck fat works too if you have it. The key is working in batches of 3-4 at a time. Crowd the pot and you get steam instead of sear. Steam means no crust, and the crust is where half the flavor comes from. If you’ve seared cuts like grilled flank steak or air fryer steak bites, same principle applies here.
Once seared, everything goes back in the pot with broth, and into a 325 degree oven. I check at 1.5 hours but I’ve gone to 3.5 and they only got better. You’ll know they’re done when the meat has visibly pulled away from the bone and a fork slides through with no effort. If you love that patience-pays-off approach to meat, my sous vide steak is the same philosophy with a different cut.
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Ingredients
4 pounds short ribs (about 8 ribs) -
generous amount of salt for seasoning
-
1 tablespoon garlic sauce, optional
-
2 cups chicken broth
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Season the short ribs
Season short ribs generously with salt on all sides. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the salt to absorb into the short ribs. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Sear the ribs
Add your favorite cooking fat (lard, tallow, duck fat) into a large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Working in batches add in 3-4 short ribs and sear on all sides for 1-2 minutes each side until a golden brown crust appears on all sides. Be sure to work in batches to eliminate the steaming effect that happens when they are too close together. Steaming will prevent the meat from forming a nice crust which locks the flavors and moisture inside the short rib.
Add liquid and braise
Add short ribs back to the Dutch oven and add garlic sauce if using. Pour in chicken bone broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and put in a 325 degree oven for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the rib meat has pulled away from the bone and is fork tender.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these ahead of time and reheat them without losing texture?
I do this all the time. I braise them a day or two ahead, let them cool in the braising liquid, and refrigerate the whole Dutch oven. When I'm ready, I reheat them covered at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. The collagen in the broth keeps the meat from drying out or going grainy. The key is reheating low and slow, not blasting them at high heat. I've served make-ahead braised beef at dinner parties and nobody could tell they weren't fresh out of the oven.
Can I use beef broth instead of chicken broth?
I go back and forth depending on what I have open in my fridge. Beef broth gives you a deeper, rounder beefy flavor right from the start. Chicken broth is lighter initially, but after two hours of braising with the rendered beef fat, it doesn't taste like chicken anymore. Both work. I reach for chicken more often because I keep homemade bone broth on hand, but beef is great if that's what you've got.
Can I braise these longer than 2 hours for even more tender results?
I've pushed mine to 3.5 hours and they were even better. The connective tissue keeps breaking down the longer they cook, so the meat gets more tender, not less. I check at 1.5 hours, and if the fork doesn't slide through effortlessly, I keep going. The only risk is the braising liquid reducing too much, so I add a splash more broth if the pot is getting dry.
What fat is best for searing?
I rotate between tallow, lard, and duck fat. All three handle high heat without smoking out my kitchen. Tallow gives the most neutral beefy flavor and is my go-to for these. Lard works just as well. Duck fat adds a slightly richer note that I like when I'm in the mood for it. Butter burns too fast at the temperatures you need for a proper sear, so I save that for finishing.
Can I make this in a slow cooker or Instant Pot instead of the oven?
I've done both. Slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours gets you tender meat, but you miss out on the crust from the Dutch oven sear. If you go that route, I'd still sear them in a hot pan first, then transfer. For the Instant Pot, 45 minutes on high pressure with natural release works, but the texture is slightly different. I prefer the oven because the keto braised version in the Dutch oven develops this deep, layered flavor that pressure cooking shortcuts.
How should I store and freeze leftovers?
I let them cool completely in the braising liquid, then transfer to airtight containers with enough liquid to cover the meat. They keep in my fridge for 3-4 days and freeze well for up to 3 months. I always freeze them in the liquid because it protects the meat from drying out. To reheat from frozen, I thaw in the fridge overnight and warm at 300 degrees, covered, for about 30-40 minutes.
Why does this recipe use chicken broth with beef?
I know it sounds wrong. I thought the same thing the first time. But chicken bone broth has a lighter, cleaner flavor that lets the beef taste come through without competing. After two hours of braising, the chicken flavor completely disappears into the rendered fat and collagen. My reader Riley put it perfectly when she said she almost skipped this recipe because of the chicken broth and ended up making the best braised beef she's ever had. I've tested it side by side with beef broth, and both are good, but the chicken version surprised me with how much richer it tasted.
If you are after tender, juicy, fall off the bone beef, then you must make short ribs! There are many ways to prepare beef short ribs but one of my favorite ways is to braise them in chicken stock. Cooking your short ribs this way is a forgiving method of cooking them. You can let them simmer in the oven, while they bathe in bone broth for a few hours or until they pull away from the bone and are fork tender. Since beef short ribs are a bit tougher cut of meat they benefit from cooking at low heat over a longer period of time.
I designed this recipe for the meat-eaters out there. If you’re on a carnivore diet, you’ll love that these short ribs use only animal-based ingredients. Following keto instead? Make the recipe as is or add garlic, herbs, or vegetables like onions, celery, and zucchini. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
If you are on the carnivore diet and looking for other meat recipes, try 
Sunday dinner at my sister's and three people were convinced there was a dry rub situation because of that crust. Salt and chicken broth. They still don't believe me.
Slow cooker works too. Same result, way less babysitting.
Third time making these and I finally really understood why the 30-minute salt rest matters. Waited the full time before searing and the crust that formed was genuinely different from my first two batches, darker and with more pull. It was close to 90 degrees outside and I had the Dutch oven going anyway because some things are worth overheating the kitchen for. Not a complaint, just an observation.
Brought these to a backyard dinner last weekend and the host kept asking what braising liquid I used because she wanted to recreate the flavor. I kept telling her it was just chicken broth and salt and she genuinely did not believe me. The 30-minute salt rest before searing is what builds that crust, and I think that's what people are tasting when they assume there's something more complicated going on.
Never braised anything before, and somehow the 30-minute salt rest gave these ribs a crust I didn't know I could pull off.
First braise and you already nailed the crust. Most people rush the sear on the first try and wonder why it looks pale.
Third or fourth time making these and I still can't get over how simple the ingredient list is. Just salt, bone broth, and a hot Dutch oven and somehow you get short ribs that fall apart when you look at them. The 30-minute salt rest felt unnecessary the first time (I almost skipped it) but that dark crust it creates when you sear them is the whole thing. Would push the seasoning a little harder next time, but this is the easiest dinner I've made all month.
Season harder next time for sure. I go pretty heavy before the salt rest and sometimes add more halfway through the braise. The meat can take it.
My dad braised short ribs every Sunday growing up and I'd quietly grieved losing them on keto, so when this crust came out of the Dutch oven after that salt rest, I nearly called him just to tell him.
That salt rest does something to the crust that I still find hard to explain. Call him anyway.
Do I have to do the full 30-minute salt rest, or can I skip it? First time making short ribs and really don't want to mess these up.
Don't skip it. That's what gives you the deep, dark crust during the sear. 30 minutes minimum, then pat them really dry before the pan.
Never braised anything in my life and wasn't sure the 30-minute salt rest was worth it (kept wanting to just skip ahead), but that crust that came off the sear was exactly what I've seen on short ribs I've paid $40 for at steakhouses. Falling apart after two hours in the Dutch oven, zero carbs, and I feel like I just learned something.
That's the whole point of the salt rest. Once you see what it does to the sear, you start doing it to every braise.
Three batches in and I finally tried duck fat for the sear instead of lard. That crust is unreal now. Not a small difference.
Duck fat hits different on that crust. I still reach for tallow usually, out of habit, but three batches in I'd probably stop rotating.
I've got a big container of beef bone broth I'm trying to use up. Would swapping it make the braise too heavy or muddy the flavor, or does it not really matter for something that cooks this long?
Beef broth works. The braise just gets a little richer, beefier, which I don't think is a bad thing with short ribs. Two hours in the oven smooths out any heaviness anyway.
My husband swears short ribs need wine and aromatics or they're missing something. He ate two of these without a word and then said 'you can make these whenever you want.' The salt rest before searing is not a suggestion.
'Whenever you want' is the goal. Skeptics always eat the most.
Made these for a dinner I hosted last weekend, mostly because I could do all the prep in the morning and let the Dutch oven do its thing while guests arrived. The ribs came out falling-apart tender with that dark crust from the salt rest, and two people who cook seriously kept pressing me about the braising liquid. When I said it was just chicken broth and salt, they genuinely didn't believe it. The simplicity is the whole point, and that reaction proved it.
People who actually cook always assume there's something I'm not telling them. Salt rest, sear, chicken broth. That's it.
Swapped the chicken broth for beef broth because that's what I had, and the braising liquid reduced into something so rich I ended up spooning it over everything on the plate.
Beef broth front-loads the richness. By the time it reduces, that braising liquid is halfway to gravy.
Swapped the chicken broth for beef bone broth and the braising liquid reduced into something I actually spooned over everything on the plate. The ribs were already falling apart, but that extra body just pushed it further. Small change, worth it if you want more depth from the braise.
Yeah, that's the collagen from bone broth doing its thing. Regular beef broth reduces but doesn't get saucy the same way. Those last few tablespoons are worth fighting over.