Cookbook:Braised Beef Short Ribs

Beef short ribs are cheap and can make an excellent winter warmer. Many like to braise in the fall and winter as the oven adds heat to the house and the smells when coming in from the cold will blow your socks off. This recipe is very easy and there are many many variations.

Ingredients

 * 8 ea. (3.5–4 lbs) bone-in beef short ribs
 * Olive oil
 * 1 large onion, peeled and sliced (pole to pole)
 * 4 celery stalks, sliced
 * 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
 * 3 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
 * 4 sprigs thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
 * 1 can tomato paste
 * 1 bottle of dry red wine
 * Salt
 * Pepper

Procedure

 * 1) Pour yourself a glass of wine.
 * 2) Preheat oven to 350°F.
 * 3) Remove any large fat deposits on the sides of the ribs (your butcher should have done this, but sometimes it needs a more tender hand) and salt and pepper all sides.
 * 4) Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
 * 5) Add ribs and brown on all sides (about 2–3 minutes per side). Work in batches as not to crowd pan.
 * 6) While meat is browning mix tomato paste with enough wine to thin (⅓ bottle)
 * 7) Remove meat and set aside.
 * 8) Sauté the vegetables until soft (about 5–10 minutes).
 * 9) Deglaze pan with wine and scrape up any fond.
 * 10) Add in tomato paste mixture, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
 * 11) Add ribs (nestle in vegetables).
 * 12) Add sprigs of thyme.
 * 13) Add remainder of wine to just almost cover the ribs.
 * 14) Pour rest of wine in your almost empty glass.
 * 15) Cover and braise in oven for 2.5–3 hours (turning ribs once while cooking) until ribs are fork tender and fall off the bone.
 * 16) Serve ribs with braising liquid and vegetables over mashed potatoes, along side new potatoes, or over egg noodles.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * Separate out ribs and braising liquid, strain out vegetables and thicken braising liquid over medium heat.
 * Separate out ribs and braising liquid and blend vegetables and braising liquid in blender or food processor, reduce over medium heat.
 * Blend all vegetables prior to sautéing and sauté on high heat until almost burned
 * Refrigerate overnight, remove any solidified fat, reheat over medium-low heat until sauce is reduced.