A different but similar Braised Short Ribs

I did short ribs for my NYE dinner, cause anything braised is a winner for dinner parties with me. Liz, I was going to do your recipe, it looks so good! But I ended up with a small variation because I ain't pureeing anything. I have a. no food processor, b. no mixer, c. no immersion blender -- all I have is one borrowed blender that gets very upset when I use it for, well, basically anything. Now, this recipe looks like a lot of work, but it's really not, especially for the deliciousness of it. Also, I braised the ribs the day before, let them cool, and refrigerated them overnight so the flavors could meld together and so I could easily scoop out the gloppy nastiness that collects as the fat congeals at the top. Don't need that in my dinner, no thanks. Then I just warmed them up at 350 with some other stuff for maybe, oh, an hour?


I also made a freezer full of stock from the bones because, oh, did I mention? I made TWELVE POUNDS of short ribs. I had ten hungry people coming, and I had to get enough in their bellies to prepare for the copious amounts of champagne, hello! You should have seen me at the meat market -- I could hardly hold the bag it was so heavy and awkwardly shaped. Luckily, Jamie was there for the assist (after I convinced him we didn't need the halved pigs head across the aisle. Or the chicken feet. Or the beef tongue) so thanks, honey. Here's some shreddy beefy goodness for you.



Braised Beef Short Ribs

Gourmet, October 2006
Walter Manzke at Bouchée and L’Auberge Carmel, Carmel


From Epicurious: The signature dish at Bouchée is similar to boeuf bourguignon except it uses short ribs, which create a more elegant presentation for individual servings. The addition of vinegar offsets their robust meatiness. Any remaining sauce would be great served over egg noodles.


For short ribs
4 (8-oz) pieces bone-in beef short ribs (HAAAAAAAA ha ha ha ha. Did you read above? Okay, so now quintuple everything below)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (14-oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes in juice, puréedin a blender with juice (my stupid blender can handle this, but that's about it. basically, it's a big glass gazpacho-maker)
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
4 cups brown veal stock (yeah, right. a. i hate everything about veal, b. nobody carries veal stock. i used chicken)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 tablespoon Banyuls vinegar or red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Braise short ribs:
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 250°F.
Pat beef dry. Heat oil in a wide (12 inches in diameter) 3- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef on all sides, turning with tongs, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Add chopped carrots, onion, and garlic to oil in pot and cook over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup puréed tomatoes (reserve remainder for another use) and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Add wine and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.
Add veal stock, thyme, bay leaf, vinegars, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to sauce, and bring to a simmer. Skim fat from surface, then add beef along with any juices accumulated on plate and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to oven and braise until beef is very tender, 4 to 5 hours.


Assemble dish: Transfer a short rib to each of 4 soup plates and keep warm in oven. Pour sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids, then skim fat from sauce. Boil sauce, if necessary, until thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Season with salt and pepper. Add about 2 cups sauce to vegetables (reserve remaining sauce for another use), then spoon mixture around short ribs.

Makes 4 servings. We quintupled to serve 10, with leftovers.

A different but similar Braised Short Ribs