September 27, 2006

Braised Short Ribs

Meat
2-3 tablespoons of canola oil
6-8 lb short ribs (beef), fat trimmed off
generous amount of kosher salt & fresh ground pepper (for meat)

Mirepoix
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped

Aromatics and Liquid

3-6 garlic cloves, minced (don't use a garlic crusher, chop them w/ a knife)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (e.g. Contadina, whatever)

1 bottle (750ml) red wine (something thick and fruity, like Zin or Syrah; I used a homemade Petite Syrah)

4 cups of chicken stock (I use Kitchen Basics or any low sodium stock will do)

1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns (you can use black too)
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 dried bay leaf (medium size)

Finishing
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • Reheat oven to 300F.
  • Trim off fat from the ribs and season generously with salt and pepper.Heat oil in a large braising pan (that can go in oven) in medium heat and sear ribs on all sides (about 8 minutes total). Do them in batches (do not overcrowd) and put them aside when done in a bowl or large dish that can hold the drippings.
  • Remove all of the leftover fat but 2-3 tablespoons and fry the mirepoix (onion, carrot and celery) for 8-10 minutes on medium heat until nicely browned.
  • Add garlic and tomato paste and brown for 1 minute or so.
  • Add wine, increase heat and reduce in half (about 8-10 minutes).
  • Add next five ingredients (stock, whole peppercorns, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf) and bring to a boil.
  • Add the seared ribs and drippings back to the pan, make sure it is boiling and placed, covered, in the oven.
  • Braise for 2- 2 1/2 hours until meat is very tender and pulls off the bone.
  • When done, remove the ribs and place in a bowl, covered, to prevent drying. Remove herb sticks from sauce let sauce rest. Skim fat off the top.
  • You can choose to strain the sauce or keep the mirepoix in it.
  • Reheat to reduce until thickened. Whisk in butter and remove off the heat. Season w/ salt and pepper if needed (might not need any at all).
  • Place each rib(s) on serving plate and pour sauce on top
Since I served the dish a day later, I put the sauce and ribs in the fridge. The fat floats to the top and hardens. I then removed it and reheated the meat w/ the sauce. When meat was hot, removed meat again and then finished the sauce. This worked well for me and I was able to do only what I needed.