Short Ribs: It’s What’s For Dinner
One of my boyfriend’s favorite things to eat for dinner (or anytime for that matter) is braised short ribs.
So when he landed a new job a couple of weeks ago, I decided to surprise him with a heaping plate full of his favorites when he got home from his first day at the office.
I searched around for a good braised short rib recipe online but ended up with my own version after checking out two or three from Food Network. I knew as long as I had the basic ingredients, I could attempt to make a great braise.
Here’s what I used to make dinner that night:
4 lbs bone-in short ribs
olive oil
1/3 cup of flour
1 large onion, cut into eighths
2-3 stalks of celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
3-4 whole cloves of garlic, smashed
2 8oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 29oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 14oz. can of beef broth
1 bottle of red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2-3 dry bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Season each short rib with salt and coat with flour. In a large pot, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and bring to a high heat. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd pan. Cook in batches, if necessary. Once brown, remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pot, add garlic and onion and saute until aromatic, then add in the celery and carrots. If necessary, add a little more olive oil. Return browned short ribs to the pot.
Next, pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine and beef broth over the meat. Add thyme and bay leaves. Make sure all the short ribs are covered. If necessary, add in water to cover all the ingredients and bring to a medium simmer. Once simmering, lower heat and cover with a lid. Check every 30-45 minutes and add more liquid, if necessary. After about 2 hours, turn short ribs over and braise for another 2 hours, checking periodically for liquid levels.
When your short ribs are done, they should be tender and falling off the bone – just like the boyfriend likes it. We served it with a mushroom risotto (I used a box recipe) and roasted asparagus. I didn’t serve the braising liquid with the ribs only because it was a little too wine-y. I’m not sure if I would change the recipe next time because the ribs were so moist it didn’t really need a sauce.
Like this post? Subscribe to The Daily Cookie RSS feed and email to see what else we’re cooking up in the kitchen!
