How to Make Succulent Wine Braised Short Ribs

This Slow Food is Comfort Food and Budget-Friendly to Boot

© Larry Ervin

Oct 26, 2008

Short ribs are often the least expensive cut of beef. Perhaps because they don't realize that they can also be the most flavorful, many shoppers pass them by simply because they aren't sure how to cook them. It's not tough, but the meat will be if you don't go “low and slow.” Short ribs have come a long way from grandma's table. Considered peasant food for years, they're now appearing on the menus of five-star restaurants. Not long ago, Bon Appetit named short ribs “Dish of the Year.”

Short ribs are the meaty ends of the rib bones cut from the chuck roast, which are the most flavorful, or from the rib roast, which tend to be leaner. Plan on buying about one pound per person depending on how meaty the ribs are. They contain a lot of connective tissue and a great way to tenderize them is by then slow cooking in a flavorful liquid, the very definition of braising. To make them even more tender and flavorful, the ribs are marinated in wine overnight before you start cooking.

Slow cooking has the side benefit of filling the house with seductive aromas. If you prepare it on Saturday, refrigerate it overnight, and serve it on Sunday, the house will smell great all weekend. This doesn't mean you'll spend all weekend in the kitchen. The long cooking goes relatively unattended. The whole process can be done in a day, but the flavor will be better if you use the overnight method.

Wine Braised Sort Ribs – Slow Food Process

You will need: A large roasting pan.

The night before Day One:

Ingredients for the Marinade:

• 4-6 pounds short ribs, trimmed of excess fat and silverskin
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp dried herbes de Provence (or equal parts thyme, basil, tarragon)
• 1 sprig fresh (or 1 tsp dried) rosemary
• 2 (750-ml) bottles Cabernet Sauvignon (reserving one glass for the cook)

1. Rub the ribs with herbs and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Place in a large non-reactive bowl or deep container and cover with wine. Marinate, covered, overnight in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

• 3 large onions, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 large celery rib, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 medium bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 2-3 cups chicken stock or broth

Method:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat the oven to 450º F.
2. Remove ribs from marinade, pour all the wine into a sauce pot over medium flame and reduce by half.
3. Meanwhile, arrange ribs bone-side down in the roasting pan. Roast until meat begins to brown, about 45 minutes. Drain off all fat and liquid. Return pan to oven and continue to cook until meat is well-browned, another 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer ribs to large plate and set aside. Drain off fat to small bowl and reserve. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
5. Place roasting pan across two stove-top burners over medium flame. De-glaze the pan with 2-3 cups of the reserved marinating liquid, bring it to simmer, scraping browned bits with wooden spoon. Set roasting pan and marinade aside.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons reserved fat in large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onions, carrots and celery, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 12 minutes.
7. Stir in the garlic for just half a minute before adding the marinating liquid and all of the remaining ingredients except the chicken broth. Bring to boil and add short ribs. Add enough chicken broth to completely submerge the ribs.
8. Return to boil, cover, place in oven, and simmer until ribs are tender, about 2-2 1/2 hours. Transfer pot to wire rack and cool, loosely covered for about 2 hours.
9. Transfer ribs to a plate. Remove any large chunks of vegetables and loose bones. Strain braising liquid into medium bowl, pressing out liquid from solids. Discard solids. Cover ribs. Cover the surface of the liquid with parchment paper or wax paper and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate separately overnight. (Or up to 3 days in advance of the feast.)

Day 2

1. Spoon off and discard solidified fat from braising liquid.
2. In a large pot over medium heat, bring the braising liquid to boil. Add the ribs and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until ribs are heated through, about 5 minutes longer.

Serve over a bed of egg noodles, mashed potatoes, polenta, rice, cous cous, or just with a loaf of crusty artisan bread. And a big full-bodied red wine, preferably the same one you used for the marinade.

Provençal Variation: In Marseille or Nice you might find this dish prepared with the addition of Niçoise olives and prunes.

One-Day Method: Eliminate the marinating process, but not the marinade. Start with the Day 1 steps, combine and reduce the marinade ingredients in step 2. In step 9, pour the braising liquid into a gravy separator. Let it sit long enough for the grease to rise to the top and pour off the braising liquid, leaving the grease behind.

Braised Short Ribs

The Aromatics: Celery and Carrots

Full-Bodied Red Wine

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