Main Dishes
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Description
Fall-off-the-bone tender red wine Braised Short Ribs are incredibly easy to make, but also the kind of show-stopper recipe that will impress any guests. It’s the kind of cooks-all-day recipe that rewards your patience in every bite.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds meaty bone-in short ribs 1 1/2 inches or thicker
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
- 6 medium carrots chopped (about 3 cups)
- 4 ribs celery chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine such as Chianti, cabernet sauvignon, or Cotes de Rhone
- 4 cups beef stock or chicken stock plus more as needed
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes in their juices
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme tied into a bundle with kitchen string
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pat the short ribs dry, then season generously all over with 5 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or similar large, sturdy-bottomed, oven-safe pot with a cover (I used a 5.5-quart Dutch oven) over medium-high heat (you don’t need to add any oil). Add about half of the short ribs in a single layer, making sure they are not touching one another (if the pan is too crowded, they won’t brown properly). Sear on all sides until they are deeply browned, about 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the short ribs to a large baking dish that can catch any juices. Repeat with remaining short ribs.
- Carefully discard all but about 2 tablespoons fat from the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots, celery, onion, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring every so often, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
- Scoot the vegetables to one side to create an open space in the pan. Add the tomato paste and stir vigorously for 30 seconds, then stir the paste into the vegetables to combine. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the wine (be careful as it will splatter), and using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula, scrape up any browned bits that have collected on the pan. Bring the wine to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let simmer until the wine is reduced by approximately half, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the stock, tomatoes, Worcestershire, Dijon, thyme bundle, and oregano.
- Nestle the short ribs into the pot, along with any cooking liquid that has collected in the pot.
- Bring the liquid in the pot to a boil. Cover the pot then transfer to the oven.
- Bake the short ribs in the oven, covered, for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid, then continue baking, uncovered, for 1 hour more, until the meat is fall-apart tender.
