For days after you’ve had this dish, your memory of it will not fade. In vivid detail, you will recall it all: the sweetness of the onions; the rich beef stock; the notes of rosemary and thyme in the pot; the chunks of tender beef short rib that add hearty flavor: the velvet cloak of melted gruyère. This Short Rib Onion Soup is about as perfect a recipe as you might ever taste.
Rich beef stock cooks down with sweet onions and meaty short ribs in this tasty soup. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Here at Acadiana Table, I like to spin personal stories around the culturally significant dishes that I love so much. But sometimes–and this is one of those times–there’s just not much of a story to tell. It’s just soup, but what a spectacular soup it is.
In fact, to call this a bowl of soup doesn’t do it justice. It is more in the league of a hearty braised beef and onion stew if not for the soupy broth that defines the dish. French onion soup is what comes to mind first, and some might scoff at this seemingly Parisian classic showing up on a Southern cooking blog. But once you peel back the layers, it’s just about as down-home, Deep South as a recipe can get. The beauty of this little recipe is that it takes a laid-back casual approach to an otherwise stuffy, laced up classic.
Meaty short ribs and Vidalia onions are the focus of this recipe.
In my experience, every good recipe starts with one key ingredient that becomes a catalyst for exploring flavor, but in this recipe, there are two—short ribs and onions. So here’s the deal: These short ribs slow-cook on the bone for eight hours—enough time to break down the collagen and render them fall-off-the-bone tender. And the onions, well they’re the sweetest of all, direct from Vidalia, Georgia.
This dish walks the line between bashful and brawny. With each bite of my Short Rib Onion Soup, you search for the right word to describe it–beefy, sweet, rich, or velvety—none fully defines the essence of this amazing dish, but who cares, it is simply the best soup on the planet.
As your spoon slides through the melted gruyère and you scoop your first bite of tender beef and onions swimming in the dark broth, you just know this is gonna be good. But after tasting your first spoonful of this Short Rib Onion Soup, you never dreamed it just might redefine soup for you. It’s just that good.
- 8 (2 to 3 pounds) bone-in, English-cut short ribs, trimmed of excess fat and sinew
- 2 quarts beef stock
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 8 Vidalia onions, peeled and sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 packet powdered unflavored gelatin
- 4 thickly sliced French bread rounds
- 2 cups shredded gruyère cheese
- The day before: Add the short ribs, beef stock, and soy sauce along with the rosemary, parsley, and bay leaves to the ceramic vessel of a slow cooker set to low. Cook for 8 hours or overnight until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. Discard the bones, bay leaves, and rosemary stems. Inspect the meat and remove any excess fat. Break the meat into bite-size pieces. Strain the stock. Refrigerate the meat and stock. Once chilled, remove any fat cap from the top of the stock. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the butter. Once melted, add the onions and sauté until wilted, but not browned. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the meat and beef stock to the pot and let come to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer.
- To hydrate the gelatin, add the powder to a small bowl filled with 1 cup of cold water and let it bloom. Then add to the hot liquid in the pot and continue to simmer on the stovetop until the onions are fully cooked, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 450ºF.
- In 4 individual, oven-proof ramekins, fill with soup. Place a French bread round on top of each and layer with shredded cheese. Place on a baking tray and bake until the soup is bubbling and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
The best soup you’ll ever taste!
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This soup is fabulous! Served it for dinner with salad and French bread. But one question: how big is “a sprig”? I have my own herb garden, and a sprig of thyme can be any length I want it to be, even as long as a foot or two. Same with rosemary. I don’t want to overpower any recipe, but I don’t want to underpower it either! Can you please give some guidance?
P.S. Your cookbook is beyond amazing!
Sydney – Thanks for your kind words and the excellent question. A “sprig” is not an accurate measure, and I apologize for being vague. In this dish, replace the word “sprig” with “teaspoon”, and you will arrive at a tasty dish. I have corrected the recipe with your point in mind. It is only through focused comments like yours that I can make Acadiana Table better. All the best.
This is outstanding and I can’t even bring myself to add any Cognac to the dish. This is perfect as is and your version makes most others seem like Campbells in comparison. In fact I’m not sharing the next batch I make………I’m just going to hide and eat it all myself.
Hey Owen-
Thanks for the great review. All the best.
George, this soup is so good! And Rick and I had fun making it, too!! We will highly recommend it to all our friends and family. Thanks for sharing it with all of us! Go Lumberjacks!
Thanks Connie!
5 stars!!!!
My 2 children and I take turns picking out a new recipe each month to prepare together. I’m in New Iberia, my son is in Lafayette, and my daughter is in Chicago. It was my turn to choose. We prepared this recipe. It was a hit in all three kitchens!
Thanks Phyllis!
Tried this recipe for my family and everyone LOVED it! Will use this recipe again! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Sylvia…you’re the best.
George,
What a wonderful collection of recipes! I’m modifying your ‘Fried Green Tomato & Jowl BLT’ today – bourbon and apple cider braising it first. As well as this fabulous short rib and onion soup!
Being a caterer from Virginia – these dishes sing to me!
Cheers!
So do you remove the fat just so the meal isn’t too fatty and not for flavor purposes? Because I think I would want to keep the flavorful fat. I think I’m going to try it.
Can I substitute Country Style Ribs for Short ribs, as it was all I could find. I have all the other ingredients and plan on making this recipe this weekend. Hoping you reply soon, and thank you very much
Hey Kimberly- Yes and no. Beef is traditional for a classic French onion soup and adds the richness that this dish deserves. That said, pork will bring a distinctive flavor of its own that should impress your guests. Go ahead and use the pork ribs, but when the first cold snap hits, I would urge you to make this soup again with beef ribs and judge the difference. Keep us posted.