Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Okay, I’ll admit it, I found this recipe on the Bon Appétit magazine’s website. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if they didn’t mean for anyone to copy it, they wouldn’t have put it on the Internet in the first place. Right?

Be that as it may, I did make a few adjustments to the ingredients: I didn’t have fresh herbs, so I used dried. I didn’t have a head of garlic, so I used crushed garlic from a jar. I didn’t have flat-leaf parsley, so I left it out.

Still, the short ribs were nothing short of phenomenal. The presentation is a little cumbersome, however, because all the spent veggies have to be strained out and the gravy has to be skimmed of its floating fat.

They recommended serving the ribs with mashed potatoes. Luckily, I had the stuff for that.

Ingredients

• BONE-IN BEEF SHORT RIBS, 5 pounds, cut into 2-inch pieces
• KOSHER SALT AND GRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• VEGETABLE OIL (I used Canola Oil), 3 tablespoons
• ONIONS, 3 medium, chopped
• CARROTS, 3 medium, peeled and chopped
• CELERY, 2 stalks, chopped
• ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR, 1 tablespoon
• TOMATO PASTE, 1 tablespoon
• DRY RED WINE (I used Cabernet Sauvignon), 1 750-milliliter bottle
• FLAT LEAF PARSLEY, 10 sprigs
• THYME, 8 sprigs
• OREGANO, 4 sprigs
• ROSEMARY, 2 sprigs
• BAY LEAVES, 2 fresh or dried
• GARLIC, 1 head, halved crosswise
• BEEF STOCK, 4 cups

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, then, working in batches, brown the short ribs on all sides.
4. Remove the short ribs, discarding all but 2 tablespoons of drippings, retain the fond (those little bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pot).
5. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the onions brown.
6. Add the flour and tomato paste, stirring constantly, and cook until well-combined.
7. Stir in the wine and the short ribs with any accumulated juices.
8. Bring to a boil, lower to medium and simmer, reducing the wine by half. This will take about 20-25 minutes or so.
9. Add the herbs, garlic and stock to the Dutch oven, bring back to a boil and cover.
10. Transfer the pot to the preheated oven and cook about 2 to 2½ hours, until the meat is tender.
11. Take the ribs out, strain the sauce into a bowl and toss the spent veggies.
12. Spoon the floating fat and discard, season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
13. Serve the sauce alongside the ribs, and don’t forget the mashed potatoes.