The ultimate comfort meal with the minimal amount of effort. My kinda cooking. The prep on this is super easy because all the veggies can be roughly chopped since they're going to break down so much while braising. Since this recipe is all about the short-ribs, its important to note when you are shopping for the short ribs to look for ones that have a decent amount of meat. You do not want a rib that is all fat and bone with little to no meat, you will end with a very fatty tasting braise of vegetables instead of tender short ribs. You want some meat on those bones!
Another bonus is that this recipe cooks in the oven which frees up your stove top for any other cooking you might need to do.
Simple Braised Short Ribs
Serves: 6
Cook Time: 2 1/2 - 3 hours
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons - Canola Oil
5 pounds Bone-in Beef Short Ribs
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
3 medium onions, roughly chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1 bottle red wine, preferably a dry wine such as a Cabernet or Merlot
2 bay leaves, dried or fresh
8 thyme sprigs, or 2 tsp dried thyme
6 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 2 tsp dried rosemary
5 cloves garlic, crushed
6 cups low-sodium beef stock
Salt and pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil to dutch oven over medium heat. Lay out short ribs on a baking tray. Season aggressively with salt and pepper on all sides. Add ribs to dutch oven, cooking in batches of 3 to 4 pieces at a time, to avoid over crowding in the pan, brown on all sides. This will take about 8 minutes per batch. Over-crowding will cause the ribs to steam and prevent browning. Remove browned ribs to previously used baking sheet and continue until all ribs are browned.
2. After ribs have been removed and are resting on baking sheet, carefully pour out excess oil leaving all but one tablespoon. Be sure to pour oil into a glass measuring cup or heat-proof vessel. Wipe out any burnt or dark bits in the pan.
3. Add celery, carrots and onions to the pot. Cook over medium-high heat till browned and starting to caramelize, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add in tomato paste and cook for 2 additional minutes. Add flour and cook for another 2 minutes, cooking the flour will help ensure you don't have the taste of raw flour in your dish as well as help to thicken the braising liquid while cooking.
5. Add red wine. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook till wine has reduced by about 1/2. Add in garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Add seared ribs back to the pot. Add in beef stock and season with salt and pepper. You want the ribs to be covered 3/4 way with beef stock, not fully submerged. If 6 cups isn't enough, add 1/2 cup at at time till ribs are partially covered. If ribs are fully submerged, this would be considered a stew and not a braise. It will still taste delicious but you may need to reduce the braising liquid in a small pot after ribs are finished to concentrate the flavor.
6. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover pot with the lid and transfer to the pre-heated oven. Cook till ribs are fork tender and easily shred, this will take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, depending on the thickness of your ribs. The bones should be able to easily be removed from the meat of the ribs with minimal effort.
7. After ribs are tender, remove from the braising liquid. Transfer to serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm while you strain the liquid.
8. Strain braising liquid thru a fine mesh sieve to remove any stems from the herbs and bay leaves. You may serve the braised carrots, celery and onions with the ribs, simply scoop them out of the sieve onto the platter with the ribs. Taste braising liquid for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve braising liquid on the side as a gravy for the ribs.
Comments