Dad Pages

Braised Beef Short Ribs

There is nothing more comforting than a hunk of tender meat cooked to perfection. Beef short ribs, with a little love, will become one of your favorite cuts of beef (if it isn’t already). They are also inexpensive and easy to cook.

This recipe takes some time but it’s well worth it. Feel free to experiment by adding different vegetables and spices to the braising liquid. Make sure to buy your short ribs from a quality butcher. We’re using a fresh batch of veg for the braise for best flavor (a restaurant secret).

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Serves 2-3 people. 2 days to prepare.

Day 1:
3 pounds beef short ribs, split bone cut, well trimmed of fat, they should look like tie fighters
2 cups finely diced carrots
2 cups finely diced onions
2 cups finely diced celery
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Bunch of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Canola oil
1 750 ml bottle Cabernet Sauvignon
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Day 2:
2 cups finely diced carrot
2 cups finely diced onion
2 cups finely diced celery
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Bunch of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Canola oil
6 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
Vinegar (any kind you like)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Day 1 preparation:
Bring ribs to room temperature and heat up a large cast iron skillet or griddle on high. Warm another large pan on medium high with a few tablespoons canola oil for vegs. Season all sides of short ribs with salt and pepper and sear for 3-4 minutes on all sides until nice and brown. About 15 minutes total. Do in batches if necessary, don’t crowd pan.

While ribs are browning, sautee the vegs, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until well done and browned. Scrape browned bits off bottom of pan and add red wine to deglaze. Bring to a simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Put seared ribs in a single layer in a wide glass or ceramic dish, cover meat with veg/wine and tightly cover with foil. Let cool and put in fridge overnight to marinate, turning once.

Day 2 preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Adjust rack to make room for a big pot.

Warm up a large pan on high with canola oil and sautee up vegs and garlic with thyme, salt and pepper. Brown well and scrape bits off bottom of pan. Use some stock to deglaze pan.

Remove ribs from overnight marinade and strain liquid into a large ovenproof casserole or enameled dutch oven, press down to get as much liquid out as possible. Discard old, cold vegs. Put ribs in pot and add freshly cooked vegs, thyme, bayleafs and add enough stock to just cover ribs and cover pot tightly. Braise in oven for 3 hours. Checking every hour that all ribs are submerged. Add more stock if necessary.

Remove pot from oven and remove ribs to cool. Trim meat of any large pieces of gristle or fat that may remain from where the bones fell off. Save bones for presentation. Strain braising liquid through a fine mesh strainer and reduce in pot on medium high until reduced by half. Skimming fat off top (or use a gravy seperator after straining). Reduce more if still very watery. Taste and only if done reducing, adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and a few splashes of vinegar. Don’t season while reducing because it may get too salty and vinegar will evaporate.

At this point you can wrap everything up and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

To serve:
Preheat oven on broil. Put ribs in broiler pan and spoon some reduced braising liquid over each rib and broil for 3-4 minutes per side to get a nice crust. Don’t burn. Serve on a rib bone with mashed potatoes and a green veg. Spoon reduced sauce over. Garnish with fresh thyme.