Braised Short Ribs

I used to find the idea of cooking short ribs extremely intimidating. The idea of having to use a dutch oven and slow roasting anything seemed overwhelming and out of my league of my culinary style of cooking. The beauty about this recipe is, its a “set it and forget it” situation. Unlike a turkey you have to constantly check in on baste and cover-these short ribs are meant to be popped in the oven and left until times up! You can surely impress with this dish, and can be perfectly paired with most starches. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can served it over pappardelle with fresh grated cheese. Probably one of my most favorite Winter dishes!

Ingredients:

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 beef short ribs 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

6 thin slices bacon, diced or 3/4-1 cup of pancetta

2 tablespoons olive oil 

3 carrots, diced 

2 shallots, finely minced 

1 medium onion, diced

4-5 cloves of crushed garlic 

Splash of red wine 

4-6 cups (depending on size) beef broth (enough to almost cover the ribs) 

2 sprigs fresh thyme 

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Salt and pepper the ribs, then dredge them in the flour. Set aside.

2. In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon/pancetta over medium heat until completely crispy and all the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon/pancetta and set aside. Drain off any excess fat.

3. Add the olive oil to the pan with the bacon fat and raise the heat to high. Brown the ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove the ribs and set aside.

4. Lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, shallots, garlic and onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Splash in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Add the broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid. Finally, add the cooked bacon/pancetta.

5. Put on a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook until the ribs are fork-tender and falling off the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes with the lid on before serving. At the last minute, skim the fat off the top of the liquid. (You can also refrigerate the mixture, then remove the solid fat from the top.)

Enjoy!