Sunday Dinner : Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe
Have you ever had a recipe that you were dying to try but never did, out of fear of it not turning out right or it just not living up to what you’ve had at a restaurant? Braised short ribs is one of those dished that has been on my cooking bucket list, for years. I’ve seen it cooked countless times on cooking shows and ordered it on a number of occasions, but for some reason, the process of cooking it just seemed a little intimidating. All I could think about was not using enough liquid and opening my dutch oven to find a pot full of burnt and dry meat. ( yeah, I know… very extra )
I usually reserve Sundays for meals that are a little more involved and require a little more time in the kitchen. For me a Sunday isn’t quite complete without a good meal! So fears aside, this past Sunday, after 3 years of pinning braised short rib recipes, I decided to put my new dutch oven to use and make some wine braised short ribs.
P.S. This recipe great for those days when you want to throw something in the oven and forget about it for a couple of hours !
Wine Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
4-6 bone-in short ribs (depending on size)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 bunch of fresh thyme
1 TBS olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 whole bay leaves
2 cups Shiraz or full-bodied red wine
3 tbs of balsamic vinegar
3 cups of beef broth
Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
STEP 2: Season the meat on all side, with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add the short ribs. Brown the short ribs on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, until a nice crust has formed on the exterior of the ribs. Remove ribs and set aside on a plate.
STEP 3: Cook chopped onions, celery, carrots, etc., in the drippings left behind from searing, stirring frequently. Sauté the vegetables until they are tender and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
STEP 4: Add the red wine and balsamic vinegar to the pan with the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Simmer the wine until it has reduce by one third, which should take 5-8 minutes.
STEP 5: Add the beef broth to the reduced wine and stir to combine, then place the short ribs back in the pan. They should fit snugly in the pan and be just barely covered by the liquid. Tuck the thyme in to the pan around the side of the ribs. Cover with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Roast the short ribs for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, checking every 30-45 minutes and turning the ribs over in the pan at least once. When finished, the ribs should be completely tender and fall off the bone. Remove them from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
STEP 6: When ready to serve, remove the ribs from the fridge. Skim off and discard the hard white fat on top of the dish (there will likely be a lot of this). Preheat the oven to 400F, and return the ribs, uncovered, to the oven for 15-20 minutes – this is to both reheat the ribs and to gently brown the exterior. Before serving, ladle the sauce and vegetables out of the pan and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the vegetables. Serve the ribs on mashed potatoes, gnocchi, or buttered egg noodles, topped with the strained sauce.
The Sides :
Spicy Mashed Sweet Potato
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
black pepper and extra salt to taste
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Wash and dry sweet potatoes.
Poke holes with a fork all over the potatoes.
Wrap loosely in foil, place in a roasting pan and bake until potatoes are very soft. Depending on your oven it could take between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.
Once potatoes are cooked very soft, take them out of the oven, unwrap them and slice in half lengthwise.
Carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a bowl.
Add butter, spices, and mix with a hand mixer or mash with a fork.
Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Garlic Green Beans
Ingredients
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Place green beans into a large skillet and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Drain the water and add butter to green beans; cook and stir until butter is melted.
Add garlic to green beans until garlic is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with pepper and salt.
