Braised Short Ribs

Yield: About 2 servings (8oz meat per person)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 2 to 2½ hours

 

Ingredients

• 2 quarts beef broth/stock

• 1 bunch thyme

• Kosher salt

• 1 ½ pounds bone in beef short ribs

• 2 Tbs canola oil

• 2 onions, large dice

• 5 stalks celery, large dice

• 1 head garlic, peeled and sliced

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar

• 2 cups red wine (Valpolicella is one of my favorite selections, but feel free to choose any quality wine, so long as you enjoy drinking it!)

• 8oz unsalted butter, cubed

 

Method

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Turn the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat the beef stock with half of the thyme and 2 Tbs of salt in a saucepot over medium heat. Dry the beef short ribs on paper towels thoroughly and season liberally with salt on all sides. Heat a saucepan over medium- high heat and add the canola oil. Once fluid, but not smoking, carefully add the short ribs to the pan and sear to golden brown on all sides. Remove the short ribs from the pan, place in a baking dish lined with the rest of the thyme. Pour off excess oil from the saucepan and add the celery, season with 2 Tbs of salt and begin to sweat. Use a wooden spoon or metal tongs to scrape the caramelized beef bits from the saucepan and incorporate them into the mixture for flavor and to prevent burning. Once the celery begins to release moisture, add the onions and season with 1 Tbs of salt. Continue stirring over medium heat until the onions begin to release moisture. Add the garlic and sweat for 2 minutes, while stirring. Increase the heat to high and add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze, and reduce by half. Once reduced, add the red wine to the saucepan and reduce by half. Finally, add in the beef stock and bring to a simmer.

Pour the braising liquid and aromatics over the short ribs in the baking dish and tightly wrap with aluminum foil. Place on a sheet pan (to prevent overflow mess) on a rack in the oven and cook for about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Once the short ribs are tender and slipping from the bone, remove the pan from the oven. Place the short ribs on a plate and pour the contents of the pan through a strainer into a saucepot. The vegetables can either be discarded—as they will be devoid of flavor which they contributed to the liquid—or set aside and served with the meal. Reduce the braising liquid over high heat until large bubbles appear and the liquid becomes viscous enough to coat a spoon. Lower the heat to medium and place the short ribs in the pan. Baste the short ribs with the liquid to moisten the meat and encourage adherence and glazing of the sauce. Taste the reduced sauce for seasoning and remove the pan from the heat. Plate the short ribs as you please, perhaps over a mushroom risotto (see my channel for a great recipe!). If the sauce requires more reduction, simply heat to reduce, otherwise spoon the sauce over the short ribs and enjoy!