Wine Braised Short Ribs

We had a crummy Valentine’s weekend.  Littlest Middlest has been sick and she spent her sixth birthday/Valentine’s Day curled up in bed watching Brady Bunch reruns.  So we are celebrating a few days late.  Because when you are six and its your birthday you MUST have cake.  And when you are Husband and its Valentine’s Day you MUST have ribs.  It’s a rule.

I have several variations for short ribs, but these simple wine braised treats will knock your socks off.  And the pulled beef sandwiches the next day are even better!

These ribs can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge right in the pot you cooked them in.  Skim the fat and reheat when you are ready to serve.  Once ribs are cooking in our house, they don’t stand a chance of chillin’ for 24 hours.

I use a mix of bone-in and boneless beef ribs for this recipe.  I like having some bones left over to make stock and think they add a rich flavor, but I find that the boneless cuts are larger and yield more meat.  Also I have issues making decisions. On important things like which cut of meat to buy.

Wine Braised Short Ribs

5 lbs short ribs (mix of bone-in and boneless)

salt & pepper

6-8 garlic cloves, minced

3 celery ribs, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 (14.5 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes

2 cups red wine (use GOOD wine, something you would  drink while cooking serve to guests)

1 cup chicken broth

1 sprig of rosemary

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper. Allow them to sit at room temp in the salt and pepper while you cut up the veggies.  The ribs will brown better if they are already  room temperature.  See the bone-in and boneless mix?

Brown the ribs in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  This will have to be done in two batches — it’s a lot of beef.  Brown on each side about 4-5 minutes until the ribs get nice and golden.

Once all the ribs are browned, remove them to a platter and drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat.  Send a photo of the browned ribs to someone you love and tell them dinner will be ready in a few short hours.  Torture I tell you!

Add all the veggies to the pot and saute until golden brown and very tender.  Depending on your heat this will take about 6-7 minutes.

Once the veggies are all soft and golden, add the rest of the ingredients to the pot.  Start with the wine.  Be careful it will sizzle something fierce, but it will deglaze all the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Nestle the ribs back into the pot and squeal in anticipation…

Bring all this goodness back to a boil.  Then cover your pot and bake at 350 degrees for about 3 1/2 hours.  You’ll know the ribs are done when they are so tender they literally fall off the bone or pull apart with a fork.

Once the ribs are done, remove them to a platter and keep warm in oven or warming drawer.  Strain the veggie mixture into a bowl.  Go ahead and taste a veggie or two while you are straining all the liquid out.  Pour the liquid into a small sauce pan and let sit for about 30 minutes or so.  The fat will rise to the top.  Skim off as much fat from the liquid as you can and discard.  Add the veggies back to the liquid and bring to a slow boil to make the gravy.  It usually takes about 15 – 20 minutes for the gravy to reduce to a nice thick sauce.

Plate up and enjoy!