Braised Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine

I'm a sucker for sales, especially with groceries. About a month ago I saw a package of big, beautiful short ribs on sale at Albertson's and I just couldn't pass it up. I put them in the freezer in hopes that I would cook them for my hubby when he came home, and that's what I did last night. It was pretty much an all-day task, but I think it was worth it. I served the short-ribs over egg noodles, but mashed potatoes or even a side of spatzl would have been a good side dish. Since I can't drink right now, I think a good bottle of Burgundy or an Italian table wine will pair up nicely with this meal. You don't want a big, bold California red wine to overpower this dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 beef short ribs, trimmed of fat
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
• 4 cups large-diced celery (6 large stalks)
• 2 carrots, peeled and large-diced
• 1 small fennel, fronds, stems, and core removed, large-diced
• 1 leek, cleaned and large-diced, white part only
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (750 ml) bottle Burgundy wine or dry red wine
• fresh rosemary sprig
• fresh thyme sprig
• 6 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the short ribs on a sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and add the onion, celery, carrots, fennel, and leek and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour the wine over the vegetables, bring to a boil, and cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine and add to the pot.
3. Place the roasted ribs on top of the vegetables in the Dutch oven and add the beef stock and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.
4. Carefully remove the short ribs from the pot and set aside. Discard the herbs and skim the excess fat. Cook the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for 20 minutes, until reduced. Put the ribs back into the pot and heat through. Serve with the vegetables and sauce.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

I've had a few pounds of beef short ribs in the freezer for the past two months or so and when my husband came home on leave, I decided to cook them. Since the beef short ribs had been in a tundra for so long, I decided to brine them for a couple of days.

I'm sure if I didn't brine them they would have come out just as good, but the benefit (I find) from brining is that you usually don't need to add more salt when you cook and the food comes out extra special juicy. Here's my version of beef short ribs. Give yourself a couple of days because you have to consider the brining and cooking time. And this dish actually did taste and got even more tender the next day after I cooked it.

Brine for Beef Short Ribs

INGREDIENTS

• 3 beef short ribs, about 14 to 16 ounces each
• Water
• 1/3 cup Kosher salt
• 1/3 Sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/4 cup sweet vermouth
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 6 whole black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS

In a container large enough for the ribs and with a tight fitting lid, place 2 cups of water. Add the sugar and salt and swish around to dissolve. Add the short ribs and remainder of brining ingredients. Add more water so that the ribs are completely submerged in water. Place in the fridge and let it brine overnight, up to two days.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

INGREDIENTS

• The brined short ribs
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups hearty red wine
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Remove beef short ribs from brine and pat dry. Discard brining liquid.

In a shallow dish add the flour + 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper + 1 teaspoon paprika and mix. Dredge the beef short ribs in seasoned flour and set aside.

In a dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil on medium high. When hot enough, add the short ribs and sear on each side for 4 minutes, or until they are light golden brown all over (about 12 to 16 minutes total). Remove from pan and set aside. Add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 5 to 8 more minutes.

Next add the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 2 more minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add the red wine and ring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Make sure you scrape up the browned bits at bottom of pan.

Arrange ribs in the pot, laying flat, bones standing up, in one layer. Then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil again for one minute. Lower heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until beef is tender and falling off the bone. Make sure your lid is tight fitting. You can also add a layer of parchment paper over the ribs or foil underneath the lid to maintain the heat.

About 10 minutes before serving, remove the lid and parchment or foil, if any, and remove the bay leaves. Raise heat to medium-high and let juices thicken a bit more. Add the chopped fresh parsley and serve.

Braised Short Ribs

Who has time to cook anymore? Let alone for two hours??? Well, if for some reason you find a couple of hours of free time in your busy schedule, you MUST try this recipe. I found the braised short ribs recipe in a Cuisine at Home magazine (October 2005). I ommited a few of the ingredients from the original recipe and added a few extra ones. I also cut the recipe in half since there are only two of us. You will need a Dutch Oven for this recipe, but if you don't have one a large 4 to 6 quart pot with a lid will work, too. As always, follow these tips to make your cooking fun and easy.:

1. Always cut your veggies ahead of time
2. Get out all your ingredients, pre-measure them and have them ready to go before you start cooking
3. Get your pans or skillets out, pre-heat the oven (if necessary) and;
4. Make yourself a cocktail and and start cookin'

INGREDIENTS (serves 3)

• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup carrot, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 lb. bone-in short ribs (about 6)
• 1 can (14oz) chicken stock
• 3/4 cup dry red wine, such as Mill Street Red
• 1/4 cup marsala, port or a sweet wine
• 1 Tablespoon A-1 Heinz Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
• 1 medium zip-lock bag

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat to 300 degrees.
2. Prepare onion, carrot, celery, tomato and garlic; set aside.
   
3. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a resealable plastic bag. Add short ribs, one at a time, and shake to coat evenly (reserve unused flour).
4. Heat one tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or 4 to 6 qt. pot over medium heat. Add dredged short ribes, bone side up, and brown slowly, about 8 minutes. Turn ribs and brown the other side for another 8 minutes. Remove ribs from the pan and set aside; pour off all fat from the pot.
5. In the same pot, add another tablespoon of oil and saute (over medium-high heat) the carrots, onions, celery, bay leaf and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and saute for another minute. Add the reserved unused flour and stir until vegetables are coated, about one more minute.
6. Deglaze with chicken stock, wine, marsala, A-1 sauce, balsamic vinegar and bring to a simmer. Arrange ribs in sauce, bone side up, cover and braise in the 300 degree oven for 2 hours. If you are not using a Dutch oven, you can braise it over the stove top on medium-low heat for 2 hours. In the meantime, you can do your nails, or watch Napoleon Dynamite for the umpth time!
7. After two hours, taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust, if necessary (mine came out perfect and I didn't have to add anymore salt).
8. Serve the ribs and sauce over Gremolata pasta!

Wine recommendation: 2000 bottle of Benanti Rosso di Verzella. This is a Sicilian wine which is very hard to find, however I found it at 57 Degrees in Downtown, San Diego. This wine has concentrated aromas of blackberry and wild fruit with inviting hints of spice. In the mouth the wine is full, rich and warm, displaying ripe, juicy, vibrant fruit and soft, round tannins and it has a great velvety finish. This wine is ideal for braised meat or grilled meat dishes.