Braised Short Ribs Simmered in Pinot Noir and Homemade Beef Broth

Now that the Fall is approaching and evenings are bringing a chill, braised beef short ribs were on the top of my list.  Grass fed beef that is seared in bacon fat and olive oil and then simmered low and slow in homemade beef broth and aged Pinot Noir.  What I love about braising short ribs is that they are very forgiving.  It’s not difficult to add a bit of this and a bit of that and still end up with delicious fall off the bone tender beef.  It’s fun to experiment and as my next side of beef arrives in December, I’ll want to try another braise with a sauce that is Asian inspired.

For this dish, it would pair well with mashed garlic potatoes, a simple green salad and a nice glass of vino tinto (red wine).  This is a simple meal that you can easily prepare at home and will leave everyone craving for more.

Braised Short Rib Simmered in Pinot Noir and Homemade Beef Broth
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 4 beef short ribs (ask for 3 bone center cut)
2. 6 pieces of bacon, diced
3. 1/3 cup diced carrots
4. 1 cup diced onions
5. 6 sprigs fresh thyme
6. 2 sprigs rosemary (or 1 tbls dried)
7. 2 bay leaves
8. 3 cups dry red wine
9. 4 cups beef broth (preferably homemade)
10. extra virgin olive oil
11. cracked fresh pepper
12. celtic sea salt

Method:

1. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature.
2. Season the short ribs with cracked fresh pepper and salt.
3. In a cast iron dutch oven or large pan, brown the bacon until the fat is rendered and the pieces of bacon are brown and crumbly.
4. Remove the bacon pieces and add a 1/4 cup of olive oil.
5. Over high heat, add the short ribs two at a time and sear until brown on all 3 sides.  Make sure to brown well… no short cuts here!!
6. Once the ribs have been browned, remove and set aside.
7. Lower the heat and add the carrots, onions, bay leaves and 2 sprigs of thyme.  Cook them, moving around the pan or dutch oven for about 5-8 minutes.
8. Add the wine, bring the heat back up to high and reduce by half.
9. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil.
10. Add the beef short ribs and arrange in the dutch oven or large pan, bones up.
11. Sprinkle with the crumbled bacon bits.
12. Add 4 sprigs of thyme, rosemary, salt to taste and a good amount of fresh ground pepper.
13. Turn the heat off, cover tightly with aluminum foil or a tight fitting lid.
14. Transfer to the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.
15. Lower the oven temperature to 325 and bake for 1 hour more.
16. The meat is done when you can stick a fork into it and feel it peel away.
17. Once done, remove the ribs from the dutch oven or large pan.  If the sauce is not thick enough at this point, bring it back to a boil on the stove top over high heat and reduce it until it’s thick enough to your liking.
18. To serve, place the ribs on a plate over garlic mashed potatoes with the sauce poured on top.

A meal that definitely takes some time to prepare but worth every inch of preparation!

Buen Provecho!!