Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients:

o  2+ Grass-fed Beef Short Ribs

o  1 tsp. cooking oil

o  Salt and pepper for seasoning

o  Flour for dusting

o  1 small onion, cut into 1” chunks

o  2 celery ribs, cut into 1” pieces

o  3 carrots; 1 roughly chopped, 2 cut into 1” pieces

o  1 cup red wine

o  1 can diced tomatoes, drained

o  1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

o  3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

o  Low-sodium beef stock

o  3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

o  1 bay leaf

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 300-degrees.

2.      Salt and pepper all sides of short ribs, followed by a dusting of flour.

3.      Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat.

4.      Increase heat to medium-high and sear short ribs (reducing heat if necessary) for about 2 minutes per side, on all sides (except bone-only side).

5.      Remove seared ribs to a plate.

6.      Sautee onion, diced carrot and celery for about 5 minutes or until they just begin to soften.

7.      Pour in wine, followed by tomatoes, balsamic and garlic. Continuously stirring, cook for another 5 minutes or until harsh alcohol smell has dissipated.

8.      Turn off the heat. Replace short ribs to Dutch oven, bone-side-down, situating them firmly into the vegetable base.

9.      Toss in thyme sprigs and bay leaf, adding enough beef stock to come to a level at least above the bone, not quite covering the surface of the meat.

10.  Place lid on Dutch oven and put into preheated oven for two hours.

11.  Carefully lift lid after timer has ended and add your larger carrot pieces. Replace lid and return to oven for another hour, or until fork tender. 

Notes:

•  To thicken the sauce, simply pour into a small saucepan and reduce it to your liking over medium-low heat.
• Short ribs are surprisingly delicious when prepared a day-ahead! After cooking, allow to cool to room temperature and place in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, scrape off the hardened fat layer (preserving all of the gelatinous-rich broth below), gently reheat over low and serve.
• If using an electric slow cooker, sear ribs in a heavy-bottomed pan on the stove top and follow directions as-is. Place into slow cooker with lid on LOW for 6-8 hours.
• To make this decadent dish without wine, increase balsamic vinegar to 1/4 cup and add 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce.
• If you choose to not dust in flour, be sure to dry your ribs thoroughly before searing.