Braised Short Ribs

Serves 4 -6

Scott

This is the most amazing recipe for short ribs, from my favorite restaurant Balthazar in NYC.

ingredients

6 short rib of beef (5 to 7 pounds)
2 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 stalk celery, halved
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh coarse ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 shallots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
5 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ruby port
4 cups full-bodied wine, such as Cabernet sauvignon
6 cups veal stock (veal stock is really best but you can substitute good homemade beef stock)

directions

1
Preheat the oven to 325°F
2
Bind each rib with cotton kitchen twine. Place the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf between the two celery halves and bind with kitchen twine.
3
Season the short ribs with 2 teaspoons of the salt and the pepper.
4
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over a high flame until it smokes.
5
In two batches, brown the short ribs well on both sides, about 3 minutes per side, pouring off all but 3 tablespoons of oil between batches.
6
Remove the ribs and set aside when done.
7
Lower the flame to medium, and add the carrots, onion, shallots, and garlic to the pot and saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and light brown.
8
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
9
Add the flour and stir well to combine. Add the port, red wine, and the celery-herb bundle.
10
Raise the flame to high and cook until the liquid is reduced by a third, about 20 minutes.
11
Return the ribs to the pot (they will stack into two layers).
12
Add the stock and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt; if the stock doesn’t cover the ribs by at least 1 inch, add water up to that level.
13
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, transfer to the preheated oven, and cook for 3 hours. Visit the pot occasionally and stir the ribs, bringing the ones on the bottom up to the top -- they’re done when the meat is fork tender and falling off the bone.
14
Transfer the ribs to a large platter and remove the strings.
15
Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce, and then strain through a sieve into a medium saucepan.
16
Discard the solids.
17
Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a strong simmer and reduce the liquid until slightly less then half (4 cups) remains, about 1 hour.
18
Return the ribs to the pot, simmer for 10 minutes to reheat, and serve.