Braised Short Ribs

Here's the recipe that I fixed as the main course for our pot-luck wine dinner last Saturday night. Lately, I've become a big fan of slow-cooking, whether it's in the Crock Pot or a more fancified braise in the oven. This is a great dish that sticks to the ribs (pun intended) and is perfect for a cold winter's evening. It's great with a spicy Syrah or peppery Zinfandel. I usually open a bottle of Crios de Susanna Balbo Syrah/Bonarda mix (one of our house wines) to go with it.

Short Rib Ragu
(from Andrea Immer)
Serves 6

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 large shallots, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 cups red wine (Use the one you're going to drink if you can.)
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 ounces Maytag blue cheese or other high quality blue cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Brown them on all sides, turning often. Remove ribs to a plate and set aside.

Turn heat down to medium and add garlic, shallots, carrots and celery to Dutch oven. Saute about 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and add the tomato paste. Stir to combine. Slowly pour in red wine and beef stock, stirring to break up tomato paste lumps. Add rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, and a generous grinding of black pepper.

Return the short ribs to the Dutch oven and stir them into the sauce. Cover the pot and place into the oven. Bake about 2 1/2 hours. Meat should be tender and nearly falling off the bones.

Remove and discard rosemary sprigs and bay leaf. Remove the meat from the bones and discard bones. Stir to break meat up a little. Serve over pasta, couscous, polenta or potatoes, topping each serving with cheese if desired.



Here's another variation on the recipe above. Despite it's "Asian-Style" name, it's not as exotic as it sounds. (It does call upon our Asian pantry ingredients.) The Asian spices and flavors just add a nice bright depth to the fatty meat and rich sauce. It's worth a try too.

Asian-Style Braised Short Ribs
(from Emeril Lagasse and the Food Network Cookbook)
Serves 6

5 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 4-ounce portions
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 quart water
1/2 cup sliced green onion bottoms, white part only
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Jasmine Rice, for serving
2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind, for serving
Sliced green onion tops, optional for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a wide stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the short ribs, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar, water, green onion bottoms, crushed red pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the orange juice. Make sure that the stockpot is deep enough so that the short ribs are submerged in the liquid. (Note: I like to brown short ribs briefly in olive oil on all sides before putting into the braising liquid so they get a great color.)

Bake the short ribs, covered, for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones. Remove the short ribs from the braising liquid and cover to keep warm. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

Drain the fat off of the cooking liquid and discard. Place the remaining braising juices in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid until only about 1 1/4 cups remain. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer, discarding the solids. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice and the lemon juice.

Return the short ribs and the reduced sauce to the stockpot or Dutch oven, coating the short ribs well with the sauce. Bake for 10 minutes, until the short ribs are heated through and slightly glazed. Serve hot over jasmine rice. Season each portion with the orange zest and garnish with the green onions if desired.


Both recipes are even better as leftovers after a day in the refrigerator!