Fire up the oven, it's short rib time

By Chef Kady Guyton
September 30, 2009

As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, it's time to start entertaining the idea of turning on the oven. In celebration of autumn, harvest season and all the other good things that happen this time of year, this week's recipe will feature two of my favorite things: braising and short ribs.

If you need to borrow money from someone, I would recommend beginning your pitch while serving this meal. Things will go much more smoothly.

Braising is the fine art of using both dry and moist heat to cook meat. It is ideal for cuts of meat that require long cook times - like ribs. Dutch ovens are designed for both stove top and oven cooking, thus are perfect for braising, if you have one now would be a good time to dust it off. If you don't, no worries. This recipe is excellent without one.

The dry heat happens first when the ribs are browned in oil on the stove top. Cooking with oil is considered a dry method because the food must be dry for it to be effective. The wet heat comes in when the liquid is added and the whole thing is put in the oven to roast. The liquid can be anything from wine to barbecue sauce, the only limit is the imagination of the chef.

Short ribs are an under-appreciated cut of meat. They come from the mid-back of the cow and tend to have lots of collagen, which makes them ideal for braising. They also come attached to a very large bone - which can give the impression that one is eating a dinosaur - and are great to share with your favorite dog.

This dish takes a long time, figure on three to four hours of cook time. However, once everything is in the oven, nothing else needs to be done. It's also better the second day, so it's a good one to make ahead for guests or just to get dinner out of the way a day early.

While short ribs are a fairly economical cut of meat, this recipe requires both red wine and port. Do not blow the budget on these two ingredients. They are combined with other things and reduced then simmered for three hours, so the alcohol is long gone by the time dinner is served. Do follow the conventional cooking wisdom and only cook with wine that you would be happy drinking. Cooking wine tends to be salted and the last thing a cook wants is someone else adding salt. Find a bottle of basic red table wine and a mid-range port. Because of it's higher alcohol content, port doesn't turn sour like wine does, so the bottle can be kept indefinitely or be used in a salad dressing.

Because the meat is so rich, I would suggest keeping the rest of the meal fairly simple. Mashed potatoes or polenta pair very well, as do steamed or roasted vegetables. Naggiar Vineyards has a 2006 Syrah that stands up very well.

Enjoy with someone you love.

Braised Short Ribs
Serves 4 to 6

6 beef short ribs, about 14 to 16 ounces each
4 whole sprigs thyme
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/3 cup diced celery
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups port
2 1/2 cups hearty red wine
6 cups beef or veal stock
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

Take the short ribs out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking, to come to room temperature. After 30 minutes, season them generously on all sides with salt.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large Dutch oven or a large saute pan over high heat. Add in 3 tablespoons olive oil and heat. Place the short ribs in the pan, and sear until they are nicely browned on all three meaty sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you might have to sear the meat in batches. When the ribs are browned, transfer them to a plate to rest.

Turn the heat down to medium, and add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme springs, and bay leaves. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the crusty bits in the pan. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables just begin to caramelize. Add the balsamic vinegar, port, and red wine. Turn the heat up to high, and reduce the liquid by half.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Arrange ribs in the pot, lieing flat, bones standing up, in one layer. (If you used a saute pan for previous steps, transfer the ribs to a braising pan at this point.) Scrape any vegetables that have fallen on the ribs back into the liquid. The stock mixture should almost cover the ribs. Tuck the parsley sprigs in and around the meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven for about 3 hours.

To check the meat for doneness, remove the lid and foil, being careful of the escaping steam, and piece a short rib with a paring knife. When the meat is done, it will yield easily to a knife. (If you would like to cook these a day ahead, this is where you can pause. The next day, you can remove the fat easily from the pot -- it will have solidified at the top -- bring these back to a simmer on the stove or in an oven, and continue.)

Let the ribs rest 10 minutes in their juices, and then transfer them to a baking sheet.

Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F.

Place the short ribs in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to brown.

Strain the broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with a ladle to extract all the juices. Skim the fat from the sauce (if you made these the day before, you will have already skimmed them) and, if the broth seems thin, reduce it over medium-high heat to thicken slightly. Taste for seasoning.