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Braised Beef Short Ribs

Michael Ruhlman
Beef short ribs cooked in an aromatic tomato sauce
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pounds beef short ribs 4 to 6 depending on size and meatiness
  • salt as needed
  • freshly cracked black pepper as needed
  • flour as needed
  • vegetable oil as needed
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp black pepper (I use coarse ground bottled black pepper here)
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp dried marjoram (or dried oregano)
  • 1 cup drinkable red wine
  • 1 28-oz can diced tomato (or whole tomatoes crushed by hand)
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 ribs celery
  • 1 small bunch of thyme (preferably tied with string for easy removal)
  • 2-3 bay leaves

Instructions
 

  • Season the short ribs with plenty of salt and pepper. Dredge in flour (I put the flour in a plastic bag and shake). In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, brown them in a quarter inch of vegetable oil on all sides.
  • Preheat your oven to 300˚F.
  • When the ribs are browned, remove them from the pan and pour out the oil. (If there's burned flour in you pan wipe it out and use a little fresh oil.) Return the dutch oven to the burner and add the onion. Give the onion a four fingered hit of kosher salt. Cook the onion still they're just beginning to brown.
  • Make a well in the center of the pot and add the black pepper and coriander. Stir them to toast them, then stir the onions to coat them with the seasoning. Stir in the marjoram.
  • Add the wine and let it simmer hard for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol, then add the tomatoes and honey and stir till it's all combined. Nestle the short ribs bone-side down in the sauce. Nestle the carrots and celery between the ribs. Press the thyme and bay leaves into the sauce.
  • Bring the sauce to a simmer, then cover and put in the oven for an hour or so. Then remove it to the stove top, flip the ribs bone side up, cover and return the pot to the oven for 2 more hours. (If the ribs are completely submerged in the sauce from the get-go, you can skip this step.)
  • If you have a hand blender, remove the ribs, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme, and blend the sauce until it's smooth. Return the ribs to the pot, or combine the ribs and the sauce on a platter and serve.
Keyword braise, short ribs