Get Fancy: Braised Short Ribs
Raise your hand if you’re constantly on the go during the week and trying to keep schedules straight with either after school activities or work commitments. (Hello, over here!) Sometimes it’s hard to think about what to make for dinner or what to make that’s easy. For me, I love my dutch oven (no, not the suffocating under the blanket type…) as I use it for quite a few meals that require only using one pot, which also means - less things to wash! If I can toss in all the ingredients and watch it work its magic, count me in. When the weekend rolls around, I do like to make a meal that still uses my dutch oven and maybe kickin’ it up a notch.
If you’re looking to make a “fancy'“ meal and have time to spare, I would like to introduce to you the delicious and worth the wait…braised short ribs. I am not a professional chef - just an at home “chef” and if I can do this, so can you!
This is a hearty and flavorful meal my family likes to enjoy, every once in a while. If you’re working remote (assuming you’re not tied to your desk with meetings and deadlines!), a stay at home mom, or just have time to watch something in the oven, I would recommend giving this recipe a chance.
There are SO many recipe versions you can find on braised short ribs, but this is one that suits my family’s taste. Here is the list and quantity of ingredients (and hopefully this helps you as you go grocery shopping as well).
Meat
5 lbs of bone-in short ribs
Produce
1 celery stalk (bunch) - diced
6 -7 carrots - unpeeled and diced
2 - 3 cups of leeks (I used the white part only and made sure to clean it throughly) - diced
5 - 6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 sprigs of fresh thyme and 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary - tie these herbs together with kitchen string.
Miscellaneous
1 bottle of dry red wine (I used Merlot)
4 cups of beef stock
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
On a baking sheet, season your short ribs (on all sides) with salt, pepper and paprika. If you want to make it easier for you to season, in a separate bowl - mix together 1 TB of salt, 1 TB of paprika, and 1/2 TB of pepper. Then use that to season your ribs.
Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high. Brown the short ribs on each side for about 1 -2 minutes on each side and then place them on a plate or baking sheet to rest while you finish the rest of the cooking process.
Once the ribs are browned, turn the stove down to medium - low and add the leeks. Saute the leeks for 2 minutes then stir in the diced carrots and celery to cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Adjust the heat, as necessary, so the ingredients are not burning. )
Stir in the minced garlic for 1 minute (you don’t want to burn garlic - it will come off as bitter) and then mix in the tablespoon of tomato paste. After another minute of cooking everything together, pour in the entire bottle of red wine and bring to a boil for 1 - 2 minutes (for those unsure of when to time - this means wait for the pot to boil then time it from that point). Before the pot boils, make sure to use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom to get the flavors from the ribs and vegetables.
Once the wine has reduced (alcohol burns off and the liquid in the pot should decrease), add the beef stock, all of the short ribs with the juice, and the herbs. Bring the pot back to a boil.
Once the pot is back to a boil, cover the dutch oven with the lid and then place the pot into the preheated oven. Cook for 2.5 hours.
While waiting, you can make mash potatoes or cook any preferred starch you want to eat with this dish. Unfortunately, I only had half bag of uncooked egg noodles and half box of uncooked macaroni elbow - so that is what I used :D Guess what? It worked out just as great!
After 2.5 hours, the short ribs should fall right off the bone. Some people would use the liquid to create a gravy but for me, I rather just use whatever is in the pot.
Plate up your dish and enjoy your labor!
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did and add another recipe to your repertoire!
Are there meals you like to cook or find difficult to make? Let me know!
