Beef Short Ribs
I was walking through the meat section on my way to buy all the “normal” stuff that I buy when i caught sight of a two pack of beef short ribs. If you have ever had really good beef short ribs then you will always have a special spot in that place in your heart for good tasting things. I bought the ribs without a lot of thought almost by instinct. I had eaten them in a restaurant but never cooked them for myself before.
When I got home i searched the web for a reciepe but as I looked through the online entries, I just couldn’t settle on one that I wanted to follow so I started messing with a combination of a few.
So here you are. My spin on just a great meal. Some people have been known to serve short ribs over a bed of Polenta or sweet mashed potatoes but I like the roasted baby reds with some chunked onion and Pablano peppers. I have also served them over butter noodles just spooning the dark pan goop over the top of everything.
Ingredients:
10-14 (~3.5 lbs) Beef Center cut Back Short Ribs
Kosher Salt and Pepper To Taste
1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
6 pieces Pancetta (or smoked bacon), Diced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 whole Carrots, Washed well and Diced
2 whole Shallots, Peeled And Finely Minced
2-3 Cloves of Garlic or 2-3 tsp of minced garlic to taste
2 cups Dry Red Or Dry White Wine
1 Tbs of Worcestershire Sauce
2 cups Beef Or Chicken Broth (enough To Almost Cover Ribs)
2 sprigs Thyme/ or 2 tsp dry Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
2 sprigs Rosemary or 2 tsp of dry Rosemary
Instructions:
1 – Dice up Medium Onion and carrots,
2 – Mince shallots and garlic
3 – Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.
4 – In a large dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not discard grease.
5 – Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.
6 – Add bay leaf, garlic, onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.
7 – Add broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add the cooked Pancetta and incorporate. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Add worcestershire sauce, thyme and rosemary to the liquid. Add ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged in winey and flavorful goodness.
8 – Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone.
9 – Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (Can also refrigerate mixture, then remove solid fat from the top. If you cook 1-2 days ahead, remove from refrigerator 2 hours before reheating. Then bake in an oven set at 350 for 2—30 minutes until warmed through.)
10- Serve each serving of 2-3 ribs on a bed of potatoes, polenta, or rice with some of the braising liquid drizzled over the plate.
Note: You can also do this dish in a crock pot. Use your head – put the diced veggies on the bottom, Ribs, then all the liquids and spices. Cook on low for about 8 hours or until beef is tender and you can’t wait any more, which ever comes first.