Notes
There are few things in the world I love more than braised meat. This is probably my favorite method that I teach and one of the ones I utilize most often at home.
This is a true method in that it’s highly flexible. The core process is simple— take a tough cut of meat, sear it on the ouside, and then cook it very slowly in liquid. The low-and-slow gentle cooking leaves even the toughest cuts fall-apart tender. The fun part comes in playing around with different liquids (water, broth, wine, beer, etc) and different flavorings (aromatics, chile paste, tomato paste, soy sauce, etc).
If you’ve never braised before, start by making this version (a classic Italian-inspired braised short rib with red wine), but know that this same core method can be used in all sorts of different ways. Once you’ve gotten a hang of the core set of techniques here, start to play around with different flavor profiles and cuts of meat.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef short ribs
- 1 yellow onion, cut into a large dice
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 bottle dry red wine
- 1-2 cups beef bone broth
- salt
- black pepper
- beef tallow or other high-heat oil
Process
Pre-heat your oven to 300°F.
Whenever I’m cooking a large cut of meat (just as we did with our reverse-seared steak), I prefer to dry brine it overnight. This isn’t strictly necessary— you can salt it right before cooking instead— but it does make a big difference.
Salt your short ribs generously on all sides. Put them onto a sheet tray lined with a wire rack and allow them to dry brine overnight.
Find a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid that you can use for the braising process. A Dutch oven or a saucier work great here.
Heat it up over high heat and, once hot, add in a tbsp or so of beef tallow or another high-heat oil.
Sear the short ribs on all sides until they are well-browned all over (you may have to do this in batches). Set them aside on a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium.
If there’s not any fat left in the pan, add in a bit more. If there already is, just use what’s there.
Add in your onions and carrots and sauté for a few minutes. Season them with salt.
Once the onions are just starting to soften, add in 2 tbsp of tomato paste, and use a spoon to spread it around evenly. Add a few twists of fresh-cracked black pepper, and allow the mixture to cook for a just a minute or so.
Pour in 1/2 bottle of red wine, and use a wooden spoon to help the liquid lift the bits of fond off the bottom of the pan.
Allow the red wine simmer for about 5 minutes until it’s slightly reduced.
Tuck the short ribs back into the pan, and then add enough bone broth to cover the short ribs three-quarters of the way with liquid. Season the mixture with a bit of salt, and give everything a stir.
If you have it, toss in a bay leaf at this point, as well.
Place a lid on your pan and put it into the oven to cook.
Allow the short ribs to cook for about 30 minutes, and then check on them.
You want the liquid to be at the gentlest simmer, just barely producing light bubbles. If the mixture is moving more than that, adjust your temperature.
I’ll often braise at 250-275°F, but it does take a bit longer.
After 2.5-3 hours, check on the short ribs. They should be super tender and easily fall apart and off the bone when you touch them.
Once they’re there, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to sit, covered, on the stove for an hour to an hour and a half. This step isn’t strictly necessary, but it does allow the meat to rest and reabsorb some of the braising liquid. When I do this, I notice a big difference.
Remove the short ribs from the pan and set them aside.
Pour the braising liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to filter out the onions and carrots. Return the liquid to the braising pan and set it over medium heat. Allow it to reduce until it forms a nice thick glaze. This can take 10-30 minutes, depending on how much you need to reduce.
Note: I don’t always reduce the braising liquid when I make braised meat. This step is optional, but it’s a nice way to use up the liquid and turn it into a thick and flavorful sauce. It’s especially nice for this recipe because of the combination of red wine and broth in the sauce.
Once reduced, place the short ribs back into the pan to cover them with the glaze, or just spoon it over the top of them. Serve immediately.
