Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Posted by Tina / 9 comments » / *Recipes, Beef, Main Courses

It may not technically be fall yet, but down here in South Florida the weather doesn’t change to indicate the switch of seasons (unless you consider “blazing -I want to die- hot” to “pretty daggum hot” a seasonal temperature change). The best way to usher in the new season is to cook dishes that just can’t help but make you FEEL it!

Nothing feels more like fall than good old COMFORT FOOD.

Enter Braised Short Ribs.

Ummm if you have never had braised short ribs, you are missing out on life.

There is seriously no more delicious and decadent comfort food. Short ribs are like the filet mignon of pot roasts, if you will. Seriously.

Think about it: You get the comfort and love of a homey slow cooked pot roast, yet it’s absolutely gorgeous enough to serve at a fancy dinner party. In fact, the first time I had this dish was at a friends house for an incredible 4 course wine pairing dinner. This dish paired incredibly with a Cabernet Sauvignon (my favorite wine variety), but could go with any bold full-bodied wine that you prefer!

Braising has become my new favorite way to cook for the fall! All the prep is done early in the day and you just let it go low and slow all day. By the time dinner rolls around, your house smells divine and you have a delicious meal to put on the table! Not to mention, so many of these recipes can be adapted for the crockpot! Just do your searing in a pan and then add it all to your crock pot and let it go all day! BOOM.

Get ready for fall with these tender and decadent Red Wine Braised Short Ribs! You won’t regret it!

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Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 1/2 hours (40 minutes active cooking)

Total Time: 5 hours

Tender short ribs in a rich red wine and tomato paste sauce with hints of thyme, the perfect fall comfort dish!

Ingredients:

4-6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
5 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
3 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 sweet onion, peeled and cut into eighths
3 medium carrots, peeled and coarse chopped
3 stalks celery, rinsed and coarse chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
12 ounces tomato paste
1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon (or other full bodied red wine)
2 cups water
14 stems of fresh thyme, bundled and tied with butchers twine
3 bay leaves

carrots, optional (as a side dish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Season the short ribs on all sides with fresh cracked black pepper and 2 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a large dutch oven, roughly 3-4 tablespoons. Heat over high heat until hot.

Using tongs, gently add half of the short ribs to the hot oil (you do this in 2 batches because if the pan is overcrowded, the short ribs will steam instead of getting the nice brown crust that you want!). Sear on all 4 sides until a nice deep brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and repeat process with second half of short ribs.

While the short ribs are browning, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to a food processor or blender and pulse into a coarse paste (You can do this step ahead if you want).

Drain all of the oil & rendered fat from the pan (BE CAREFUL! The oil is PIPING HOT!). Add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and reduce heat to medium-high. Add the pureed veggies and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the red wine and stir until everything is well combined, scraped the bottom of the pan to get all the browned (yummy) bits off into the sauce! Using the tongs, carefully nestle the short ribs back into the sauce (Note: be sure they are all covered by the sauce as much as possible). Add the thyme bundles and bay leaves and top with 2 cups of water (until short ribs are just barely covered).

Put lid on dutch oven and bake in preheated oven for 3 1/2 hours, turning the ribs 2 hours into cooking, and add additional water if needed (you want the ribs to remain mostly covered in braising liquid).

Note: Add carrots during last hour of cooking if desired.

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