When the weather is cold and gloomy, we crave slow cooked hearty meals. Braised short ribs are one of our ultimate comfort foods. We especially love the flavor of red wine braised short ribs, and we usually always have a few half finished bottles of red wine lying around, so it’s great way to make use of wine you would otherwise probably throw out.
One of the most important aspects is picking the right short ribs for this dish. You want meatier ribs, if they’re too fatty, the sauce will turn out very greasy. I recommend you talk to your butcher to help you pick out the perfect ones. We went to Whole Foods this time and the butcher went and cut some fresh for me and trimmed a bit of the fat along the sides. They had beautiful marbling!
The first step in pretty much any braising dish, is to sear your meat. We dredge the short ribs in a bit of flour and season with salt and pepper first to create a beautiful golden brown crust. We did this in our Le Creuset Dutch Oven, which if we haven’t mentioned enough, is probably one of our favorite kitchen investments.
Once you’ve gotten the crust, you simply add in the rest of the ingredients, add the short ribs back in and let it cook for several hours. We recommend at least 2 hours to get that fall-off-the-bone tenderness you want. The time will also vary depending on the size, thickness, and marbling of your ribs. If you can easily pierce it with a fork, you should be in good shape.
We recommend pairing the short ribs with a starchy carb for the ultimate comforting dish. We opted for creamy mashed potatoes this time, but cheesy polenta or risotto would also pair wonderfully. And if was not already obvious, a nice big red wine goes hand in hand with this dish. Highly recommend a Cabernet or Bordeaux.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 3-4 Meaty Bone-In Short Ribs
- 1 Tablespoon Grapeseed Oil
- 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon Black Pepper
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion Diced
- 2 Large Carrots Diced
- 2 Stalks Celery Diced
- 8 Cloves Garlic Smashed
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 3/4 Cup Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 Cups Beef Broth
- 2.5 Cups Red Wine
- 5-6 Sprigs Parsley
- 2 Sprigs Thyme
- 1 Sprig Rosemary
- 1 Sprig Oregano
- 2 Bay Leaves
Instructions
- Season the short ribs generously with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour.
- Heat up the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the short ribs on all four sides, until you have a nice brown crust. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat in the pan. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook about 4-5 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add the tomato paste and continue stirring occasionally until well incorporated, about 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add in the crushed tomato, red wine, and beef broth and bring to a simmer.
- Gently add back in your short ribs along with your herbs – parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Cover and let simmer for about 1 hour. Then uncover and continue to simmer for another 1-2 hours or until your meat has reached your desired tenderness.
- Season to taste with salt and serve. Pairs best with starchy carb such as mashed potatoes, risotto, or polenta.