Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

I have been wanting to make braised short ribs for ever.  The problem is that my boys are off at college and they are my ultimate meat eaters.  So I got tired of waiting for them to return home.  I decided to make these red wine braised short ribs for myself.  Sometimes, we need to just make something for ourselves.  I am so glad I did.  I actually started cooking these short ribs at 7 am.  I cooked like I would cook something in my smoker – low and slow.  Though I used my oven, I started the cooking at 225 degrees.

Ingredients (adapted from the Smitten Kitchen):

5 boneless beef short ribs (I thought if I didn’t have the bone, my wife would eat them – wrong)

1/4 cup each Soy and Worchestershire sauce

2 tbsp Hot Sesame Oil
1/4 of a box of whole thyme sprigs

3/4 cup of flour

2 – 3 tbsp hot chili powder

1/4 cup of season salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 yellow onions, quartered
2 -3  tbsp canola oil
1 bag of carrots, rough chop
3 stalks of celery, rough chop
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 cups hearty red wine
6 cups beef stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Marinate the short ribs the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, sesame oil and thyme sprigs. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Take the short ribs out of the refrigerator an 30 minutes before cooking, to let come to room temperature.  Combine the flour, chili powder and season salt in a small bowl and mix.

Dredge the short ribs in the flour.  Shake off the excess flour.  Place oil in a Dutch pot on high heat.  Sear the short ribs on all sides.

You want to achieve a crisp exterior.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium high heat.  Add in more oil if the oil has evaporated.  Add the onions, celery and carrots.

Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook for 6 – 8 minutes until the vegetables begin to caramelize.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the crusty bits in the pan.  Add the balsamic vinegar and red wine – this is where the dish becomes the red wine braised short ribs. Turn the heat up to high, and reduce the liquid by half.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Now add the short ribs back into the pot.

Move the vegetables and let the short ribs sit on the bottom of the pan.  The stock mixture should come up to the short ribs. Tuck the thyme sprigs in and around the meat.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid.  Braise in a 225 degree oven for 3 hours.  Turn the heat up to 275 degrees and cook for another 3 hours.

The meat should be falling off apart so lift the short ribs out of the pot carefully so you can serve them whole.  Strain the broth into a saucepan.  Cook on medium high heat and reduce it slightly.

Serve on the red wine braised short ribs if desired to pick up more of the braising liquid.  Enjoy!