Braised Short Ribs

If you are hosting guests during the holiday season, there is no better dish to serve than these meltingly-tender Braised Short Ribs. With just a few ingredients, it is the ultimate make-ahead dinner of all time and requires very little hands-on time.

The Best Braised Short Ribs

For years, this has been my go-to meal for dinner parties, even before I had any skill in the kitchen whatsoever. It is the perfect luxurious meal that everyone swoons over, especially during the snowy, wintery season.

The preparation couldn’t be simpler; Sear the meat, sauté the mirepoix (onion, carrots, celery and garlic), add plenty of red wine to the pot along with some broth, tomatoes, herbs, and a bit of vinegar. After a few hours in the oven, you end up with an impossibly rich and silky sauce and meat that falls from the bone.

Not only is this dish fabulous for entertaining, it also makes the best sort of family food. Put it together on a weekend afternoon and serve for nights to come. The familia will love you.

If you haven’t already experienced how easy and delicious braised short ribs can be, let this recipe be your inspiration and guide.

How To Buy The Best Beef Short Ribs

It is crucial to purchase bone-in short ribs for this recipe. Though the bones are likely to fall off once the meat is cooked, they are essential for adding more flavour because the marrow that seeps out of the bones seasons the sauce.

If you have access to a butcher shop, this is a good time to visit one. The packaged ones from the grocery store will do in a pinch but they are rarely cut evenly, marbled enough, or thick enough. You really want to find the thickest, meatiest ones, as they tend to shrink quite a bit once braised. Avoid the super thin, long ones that look like they are all-bone and fat with very little meat.

I like to ask the butcher for English-cut beef short ribs and specify I need them really meaty without huge layers of fat. Otherwise, even the butcher will sometimes give you the dreaded long, thin ones and short ribs are too expensive to end up with mostly bones and no meat. Be picky!

Keep in mind some larger grocery stores do have a butcher counter and will accommodate requests, so make sure you ask if they can cut up some nice ones for you.

What Is Braising?

Braising is a technique for cooking meat, sometimes vegetables, that involves a two-step process. The meat is first browned in a pan, then slow-cooked in the oven, covered, while partially submerged in liquid.

Braising does wonders for tougher cuts of meat and for the cooking liquid as well. The process helps break down the meat’s connective tissue so it goes from tough to melt-in-your-mouth. Likewise, the liquid that has cooked for a long period of time becomes rich and deeply flavoured.

If you have cooked a pot roast or a beef stew before, these have been cooked with a braising technique.

Ingredients And Notes

I am always astonished that you only need a few main ingredients to make this ultra-luxurious dish. Once you have the short ribs sorted, you might even have everything else you need in your crisper and pantry.

• Beef Short Ribs: This recipe is written to serve 6 so you will need at least 6 meaty short ribs. If the ribs seem quite small, buy a few extra. See section above on how/where to buy the best ones.
• Onion, Carrots, Celery, Garlic: Diced onions, carrots, celery and garlic serve as the foundation for the sauce. We want everything finely diced so that after the almost 3 hour of cooking time the vegetables have melted into the sauce.
• Red Wine: The red wine will add loads of flavour and richness to this dish. You don’t need a very expensive wine just buy a nice bold one that you wouldn’t mind drinking.
• Tomato Paste: To give more depth of flavour to the sauce. I really like the tomato paste that is sold in tubes because it is more convenient than the canned ones, and it is also more concentrated and flavourful.
• Tomatoes: Whole tomatoes add a lot of flavour to the sauce. We only use a small, 15-ounce can here. If you can’t find a small can use half of a large one (freeze the rest for later) or buy crushed tomatoes instead.
• Low-sodium Beef Broth: Unless I make my own beef broth, which is rare, this is the brand of beef broth I always buy.
• Balsamic vinegar: Optional, but adds a very subtle tangy-sweetness to the sauce.
• Bay Leaves: Optional but I love the floral aroma that the bay leaves lend to this braise.
• Fresh Herbs: I use a few sprigs of fresh thyme in the sauce and fresh parsley for garnish.

How To Make Braised Short Ribs

Once you get the short ribs browned and vegetables softened, the rest of the work is up to the oven. This gives you almost 3 hours to clean up, make a side dish, and soak in a hot bubbly bath — if that’s your thing ☺️

Here is the step-by-step:

Prep the short ribs. Remove the short ribs from the fridge at least 1 hour before you are ready to cook them. Room temperature meat will sear better and cook more evenly. Pat the ribs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.

Sear the short ribs. In a Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot large enough to fit all the ribs, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, brown the ribs on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Remove the ribs from the pot as they are done and place them on a small sheet pan or large plate. If necessary, drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot (I rarely need to drain any unless the ribs were really fatty).

Cook the vegetables. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme sprigs and bay leaves to the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for another minute.

Add the braising liquids:  Add in the wine and use a wooden spoon to loosen all the browned bits in the base of the pot. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes uncovered, reducing the wine by about half. Pour in the beef broth, tomatoes, and vinegar and bring to a boil.

Braise the short ribs. Using tongs, nestle the short ribs into the pot arranging them so they are bone-side up and most of the meat is submerged in liquid.Bring to a gentle boil once again, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is meltingly tender and almost falling off the bone. To check their doneness, you can gently poke the meat with a small sharp knife after the 2 1/2 hour mark. But I almost always take them to 3 hours.

Serve. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately over mashed potatoes, creamy polenta, or mashed cauliflower.

How To Serve Braised Short Ribs

To serve the ribs you have two options:

1. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the ribs to a large serving platter. Because they look more impressive when served with the bone, take care not to let the meat slip away from the bone. Spoon just some of the sauce over the meat and place the rest of the sauce in a bowl to pass around at the table.

2. Leave the short ribs in the pot. Plate the short ribs, with sauce, onto each individual plate. This is probably my favourite way to serve the short ribs to guests because it is a little less messy. If you have extra sauce, you can bring it to the table in case anyone wants more.

The Best Make-Ahead Dish

This truly is one of the best make-ahead dishes of all time. As I already mentioned above, the flavour really improves as all the ingredients have more time to mingle.

If making this dish to serve to company, make it a day or two ahead, but not more than that. Otherwise, you risk the sauce and ribs drying up a bit.

Here’s how to make it ahead and store: Allow the cooked short ribs to completely cool in the pot. If you have room in the fridge, transfer the whole pot, covered to the refrigerator. If you don’t have room, carefully scoop out the ribs into a large container and spoon some of the sauce over the ribs. Place the rest of the sauce in a separate container. Cover both and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

To reheat: Remove from fridge 1 hour before you need to reheat them. Preheat oven to 300ºF and heat until sauce and ribs are and completely warmed through. The time will depend on how cold the ribs and sauce were.

What To Serve With Short Ribs

The saucy short ribs almost demand to be served over a creamy bed of fluffy mashed potatoes, creamy polenta or this cauliflower mash. Having tried all three sides numerous times, I’m afraid I couldn’t pick a favourite — I love all three.

Aside from that, roasted broccolini or carrots would make a great accompaniment as would a nice crisp salad and a glass of red wine.

Storage Suggestions

• To store: Refrigerate leftovers, tightly covered, in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• To reheat: Reheat gently in a preheated 300ºF oven until completely warmed through.
• To freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

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