Summer is gone, and the arctic tundra of Boston is going to set in at any second. Coming home from work in the dark, meh, what a bummer. Alas, all hope is not lost, the food of Fall, and Winter can shine light on the darkest day of my this desolate ice age. Cue short ribs, mmmm. Sorry, just had a moment there- annnnnd I’m back.
I’ve been making this recipe, in one variation or the other, for years. It’s pretty easy, just takes time, and some know-how. The first thing that comes to mind, sear the meat until it is brown, taking the time to do this will increase the flavor. I’ve skipped this step in the past, and it comes out good, but to be great, ya got to sear that baby. Cook it in the oven, not the crock pot. If you MUST use the slow cooker, then do it, I won’t hate you (that much). Use wine that you would drink. If it tastes bad to drink, chances are it will taste bad in the sauce. Ick. No”cooking wine”, thank you. Try to avoid using boxed stock if possible. A homemade stock is going to make a much richer, more complex, flavor explosion than store bought. When buying a premade stock, try to look for all natural, which have only a few ingredients. My last thought would be to cook them bone in, the bone has a lot of flavor to add to the sauce.
Whichever methods, tweaks or twerks you plan to do with this recipe, it will come out tasty. Short ribs have so much flavor, that as long as you let them cook for enough time, they will be fantastic. I always buy more than I need, so that there are leftovers. I don’t buy into the “it’s better the next day” routine, but it’s damn good. Not to mention it has other uses, like pizza, pasta sauce, sandwiches and more.
Start with them face down, and use only a little bit of oil, the short ribs will release plenty of fat.
Get all the sides browned.
If they fall over, try to lean against the walls of the pan or each other.
Braise for 3 hours at 300 degrees F
After they are fork tender take the ribs out and reduce the sauce until it’s to the thickness you like, something like this…..
Ingredients
- 3lbs Bone in Short Ribs (not the Korean Style)
- 1 Small Can of Crushed Tomatoes
- 1/2 Cup of Red Wine
- 1 Cup Beef Stock (I used veal/lamb)
- 1 Tablespoon High Heat Oil Like Grape Seed
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Mushrooms
- 1 Garlic Glove
- 1/2 Medium Onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
- Put oil in a saute pan or dutch oven at medium high heat, and place short ribs bone side up sear all sides until brown. About 3-5 minutes a side
- Take the short ribs out, place on a plate while the veg cooks
- Sweat onions and mushrooms until softened and add one clove of minced garlic
- Deglaze with red wine and reduce by half
- Add beef stock and reduce by half. If using boxed that is high in sodium use 1/4 cup and don't reduce
- Add tomatoes, stir together
- Place short ribs meat side up and push through sauce a bit
- Cover and cook for 3 hours, after 1 1/2 hours turn short ribs meat side down
- After short ribs are fork tender, remove from sauce and set aside
- Place pan on the stove and reduce to the consistency desired
- Add short ribs back to reheat and serve over mashed potatoes or your side of choice
- Enjoy!
Thanks for following on Twitter. Came over to check out your site and would love for you to link up on the Merry Monday Link Party and share your blog post.
Erlene-
Glad you like the recipe! Just checked out your site, lots of good stuff over there. I will try to get my act together for your link party.
Adam