Braised Beef Short Ribs

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by these days! My little one has just survived his first cold, and he's become an unstoppable force of nature (read: toddler who likes to explore everything) just going, going, going. We've been so busy that I suddenly realized it has been almost a month since I've managed to write a post. Again. Sorry everyone, I'll try to keep on top of this better!

So, while the days have been flying by at the speed of sound and the temperatures have been getting lower, I've been looking for more comfort-food type meals that can basically cook themselves. We've had stews and soups, but I also really love to add this dish into the rotation. I got the recipe from Ree Drummond's Pioneer Woman Cooks website, which I absolutely love to read whenever I have a couple extra minutes (you can see her original recipe here). I decided not to do step by step photos of this one for two reasons: I really needed to get it done quickly to take advantage of a short stuffy-toddler nap, and also because my photos would not be nearly as nice as those you'll find if you follow the link (you really should, I think you'll enjoy it if you do).

I made this almost exactly as Ree wrote it the first time, but since then I've tweaked it a little here and there - no big changes mind you, just little things. I leave my carrots in larger chunks because I really like them to be a bigger part of the dish rather than just to add flavor to the sauce; I skip the pancetta and just use a spoonful of bacon grease that I keep in a jar for just such a purpose (yes, I keep bacon grease in a jar, and I'm comfortable with that); and I add a pinch of crushed red pepper along with dried rosemary and thyme to kick it up a little. Also, when I was ready to start cooking this last time, I discovered I had run out of stock. I had neither beef nor chicken, and so I simply used water. The ribs came out just as good.

These are fantastic served with polenta, as suggested by Ree. They are also great if you eat them with bread because your husband got home starving before you had time to make polenta. They really are amazing, in addition to being super easy, and I hope you try them!

Here's the recipe as I've adapted it:

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2-6 whole beef short ribs
       (depending on how small they have been cut, you want them all to fit in your 
       dutch oven in a single layer - the ones I've been getting are still pretty long 
       so I use three or four)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
~1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
~1 Tbsp bacon grease (you can just use olive oil, but you will miss the smoky flavor)
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped into bite-size chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
~1 tsp dried rosemary
~1 tsp dried thyme
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
additional fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste
2 Cups red wine
2 Cups water (or beef or chicken stock) enough to just cover ribs

Preheat oven to 350*.
Season the ribs with salt and pepper on all sides, and coat with all-purpose flour. Heat the bacon grease in a dutch oven on pretty high heat, and brown the ribs on all sides. This will be pretty fast, a minute or less per side, just to brown them; then remove them to a plate to wait. Turn the heat down to about medium, and toss in the onion, carrot, garlic and spices; saute until fragrant and beginning to soften. Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to release all the browned bits that are still stuck. Stir in the water or stock, bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Return the ribs to the pan, making sure they are each mostly submerged.
Cover the dutch oven and put it in the 350* oven for 2 hours. Then lower the temperature to 325* for another 30-45 minutes. (Or if you are like me, and it's time to go get the little one ready for bed, just turn off the oven but don't open it, and let the ribs finish cooking with just the heat they retain for the next hour).
Serve with polenta, or mashed potato, or bread - whatever you prefer, really anything that will help you enjoy the lovely sauce you've created.

Enjoy!                                            

Sue