Braised short ribs: melt in your mouth

Ingredients:

  • 4 pounds beef short ribs
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) for a conventional oven or 325°F (160°C) for a convection oven.
  2. Season the short ribs with salt and black pepper.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat.
  4. Add the short ribs and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the ribs from the pot and set aside.
  5. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pot and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
  6. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.
  7. Pour in the beef broth and red wine, and bring the mixture to a simmer.
  8. Add the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves to the pot.
  9. Return the short ribs to the pot, cover with a lid, and transfer the pot to the oven.
  10. Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours in a conventional oven, or 2 to 2 1/2 hours in a convection oven, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones.
  11. Remove the pot from the oven and let the short ribs rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  12. Skim any excess fat from the surface of the sauce and discard the bay leaves and herb sprigs.
  13. Serve the short ribs with the sauce and your desired side dish.

Note: You can use either a dry or a sweet red wine for this recipe, depending on your preference. A dry red wine will give the dish a more acidic flavor, while a sweet red wine will lend a slightly sweeter taste.

I absolutely LOVE braised short ribs

Braised short ribs have been one of my favorite dishes for the last few years. Whenever I go to a nice restaurant, I tend to look to see if they have short ribs on the menu. Naturally, I’ve wanted to try making them at home. After some searching and experimentation, I came to this recipe and I’m pretty confident in it. Of course, like all recipes, there’s always room for improvement.

One thing I love about this recipe is the use of fresh picked rosemary. I have a large rosemary plant in my garden which I feel duty-bound to try to use up! It really adds a nice depth of flavor to dishes. As for the wine, I’ve always heard that using a dry red wine is best for cooking, but some recipes call for a sweeter wine. After some experimentation, I’ve found that a dry red wine really helps to balance out the richness of the short ribs. It also gives the dish a nice depth of flavor that you just don’t get with a sweeter wine.

When it comes to cooking the short ribs, the most important thing is patience. You really want to let them braise low and slow for a few hours to get that fall-off-the-bone tenderness. I’ve included cook times and temperatures for both conventional and convection ovens, so no matter what kind of oven you have, you can make these delicious short ribs.

In the end, braised short ribs are a classic dish that will never go out of style. They’re perfect for a fancy dinner party or just a cozy night in. And with this recipe, you can impress your guests or simply treat yourself to a gourmet meal.

~Denny

More about braising and short ribs

  1. “The Art of Braising: An Essential Cooking Technique” – Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-art-of-braising-an-essential-cooking-technique-4176519
  2. “What Are Short Ribs and Where Do They Come From?” – The Spruce Eats: https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are-short-ribs-4685146
  3. “Wine Pairing: Braised Short Ribs” – Wine Enthusiast: https://www.winemag.com/2018/11/08/wine-pairing-braised-short-ribs/
  4. “10 Perfect Side Dishes for Braised Short Ribs” – Food & Wine: https://www.foodandwine.com/meat-poultry/beef/braised-short-ribs-side-dishes

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