Daring Cooks March 2012 – Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

It’s finally time I post a meat based recipe! This month’s daring cooks challenge was to prepare a braise. Braising, stemming from the French word “braiser” is a combination of cooking methods – dry heat (roasting, baking, pan frying) followed by moist heat (simmering, steaming, boiling). The final result is a flavorful and aromatic dish with meat that is tender enough to fall right off the bone. I was really excited for this challenge since I love cooking tough cheap cuts of meat to see them transform into melt in your mouth perfection and I had never cooked with beef short ribs before. Overall result was delicious. It does take quite a bit of effort though and takes around 5-6 hours from start to finish. Not a dish that will make it into my weekly meal rotation — but hopefully I can find some time to fit it in a couple of times a year. Oh and make sure to prepare the gremolata (parsley, garlic lemon mix) – it adds a very refreshing touch!

Daring Cooks March 2012 – Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Recipe From Michael Ruhlman 

Serves: 4-5

Start to Finish: 5-6 hours

Ingredients:

vegetable oil

flour for dredging ribs

3 pounds beef short ribs (8-9 ribs)

2 large onions, coarsely diced

salt, to taste

4 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces

2 celery stalks cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups Zinfandel

1 head garlic, cut horizontally and outer layers peeled (cloves can be unpeeled)

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1  teaspoon whole peppercorns

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. In a cast iron pot (I used my dutch oven) add enough oil to go 1/4 inch up the sides. Over medium-high heat heat oil.

2. Add a handful of flour to a plate and dredge each short rib on all sides, shaking off excess.

3. When oil is hot (sprinkle of flour sizzles in it) add short ribs to the pot making sure not to crowd them (I did this in 2 batches). Cook 1-2 minutes on each side so that a crust forms.

4. Remove ribs and drain on paper towels. Pour out remaining oil in the pot and wipe it clean.

5. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

6. Add enough vegetable oil to the pot to coat the bottom and add half the onions, cooking until softened. Add a dash of salt.

7. Add half the carrots and all the celery (wrap remaining carrots and onions and refrigerate for later). Cook 5-7 minutes until vegetables start to caramelize.

8. Add tomato paste and stir to combine.

9. Add ribs back to the pot, ok to have them overlap at this point.

10.Add wine, head of garlic, bay leaves, dash of salt, honey and peppercorns.

11. Bring to a simmer and cover the pot with the lid ajar or make a lid out of parchment paper to place over the contents (I did both).

12. Place in the oven and cook for 4 hours.

13. Remove pot from oven and remove the ribs. Strain the braising liquid and discard the solids.

14. Sear mushrooms by placing them in a single layer on a hot dry pan and pressing down on them with a spatula for 1-2 minutes. Flip them over and repeat.

15. Melt butter in the cast iron pot over medium heat and add reserved onions and carrots. Cook 5-7 minutes, then add ribs and mushrooms to the pot.

16. Add the strained braising liquid to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over medium-low heat until carrots are cooked through.

17. To make the gremolata combine the parsley, minced garlic and lemon zest.

18. Serve the ribs with mashed potatoes or egg noodles, sprinkled with the gremolata.