Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs

I remember when short ribs were just a cheap almost throw away product until someone got wise to the fact that they are absolutely delicious. Sometimes I find them on sale, and I take advantage of it. When beef short ribs are braised in a savory wine sauce, they become fall-off-the-bone tender. I like to serve them to company or as a romantic dinner for two. Here’s how to make them:

Start by preheated the oven to 325 degrees. In a Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbl. of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the ribs all over and brown them in the vegetable oil on all sides. When browned, remove to a plate.

In the pot used to brown the meat, add 1 medium chopped onion, 2 large stalks of chopped celery with the leaves, and 2 cups of carrots cut up into 1- inch pieces. Sauté for 2-3 minutes on medium high heat.

Next, add in 3 cloves of chopped garlic and sauté just until fragrant.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the vegetables and stir completely to dissolve the flour, about 1-2 minutes.

Once flour is mixed into the vegetables, add 1 cup of dry red wine to the pot stirring constantly to deglaze the pot. Sauce will thicken quickly and at this time add 2 cups of beef broth. Stir well to scrape up any bits off the bottom of the pot. Note*  I do not add any salt and pepper until the end if any.  As the sauce  cooks down, the sodium becomes concentrated so wait until the end to see if more is needed.  You can also use sodium free beef broth if desired.

Add the beef short ribs back to the pot, turning to coat with the sauce.

Cover the pot and place in a preheated 325-degree oven for 2 1/2 – 3 hrs. until very tender. If sauce become too thick, add more water.

When ribs are done, they will be very tender and pulled back from the bone. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin with water. Spoon the gravy over the ribs and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. I like to serve the ribs with the bone attached but you can remove it if you wish. You can serve 1 or 2 ribs per person depending on the size since size varies between supermarkets.

I like to serve the ribs over creamy mashed potatoes. Since the recipe makes its own gravy, it’s easy to just place the ribs on top of mashed potatoes, polenta, quinoa, or rice and pour the gravy and vegetables over the top. Enjoy and happy cooking!

Prep Time: 30 min

Cooking Time: about 3 1/2 hrs. total

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 1-2

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Ingredients:

4 beef short ribs (1 per person if they are large, 2 per person if small)

Salt and pepper for ribs

1 Tbl. vegetable oil

1 medium onion chopped

2 large stalks of celery chopped with leaves

2 cups carrots or baby carrots cut into 1 inch pieces

3 cloves garlic chopped

2 Tbl. all purpose unbleached flour

1 cup dry red wine

2 cups beef broth

Freshly chopped parsley for garnish