Braised Short Ribs

Braised Short Ribs –  a classic and delicious recipe for braised short ribs!

Nothing like the smell of slow-braised …. well, anything in your house – especially in a red-wine/tomato sauce and ribs are the main dish.  These little beauties got the full treatment today.  They have a fennel/salt/pepper dry rub, they were seared in grapeseed oil and then braised for about 2 hours in a red wine, shallot, tomato sauce along with a secret ingredient….

What was it?  Smoked paprika.  I have used smoked paprika a couple of times now, namely in my grilled oysters with smoked paprika butter – just open up the container of it and take a whiff – the smokiness is so strong and sooo good.  It really was a good spin on this classic recipe.  I also added diced tomatoes so the sauce was a little chunky.

What is a short rib, you ask?  Well, if you picture a cow, its ribs would obviously be found in the section of its body behind its shoulders.  There are four defined areas there, the ribs, plate, brisket and chuck.  Short ribs can be taken from any of these areas.

What types of short ribs are there?

1. Boneless:  The meat from the ribs is cut away from the bone.
2. English Cut: this is what is pictured above and used in my recipe.  This is probably what you will get if you simply ask for short ribs at your typical grocery store.  It is a 2-3 inch bone with meat sitting on top of it.
3. Flanken Style: Cut across several bones so you have a longer piece of meat with little chunks of bone throughout.

What is the best kind of short rib for braising?

I used the English cut for this recipe, which is probably best braised because it has such a large piece of bone in it, the flavor from it is best extracted through a slow, low-heat process.  Plus, the meat turns buttery and tender.  It is a go-to luxurious meal that will knock your socks off.

What do short ribs look like?

So beautiful.

How to braise short ribs:

I put some fennel, salt and pepper in a bowl…..

And gave the short ribs a nice rub-down

Sear them on med-high heat.

Then remove, but keep all the juice in the dutch oven.  Add all your yummy ingredients for the braising liquid (wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, shallots, beef broth, celery, carrots, garlic, oregano, thyme, fresh basil, rosemary, and smoked paprika)

I could just eat this by itself.

Reduce a little on med-high and then put the ribs back in.

Stick them in the oven at 250 degrees and cook for about 1.5-2 hours.

 

Damn good.

I have heard grilling short ribs is also a must-try….. it is officially on my list of things to try.

Enjoy~

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Love,

E

Braised short rib recipe:

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