Braised Beef Short Ribs - Hunter's Style

Braised Beef Short Ribs Hunter's Style
From fineCooking Magazine

Printable Recipe

For other options – including how to customize your own braise, my three year old grandson, made an awesome choice to be tried after this one.

Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Braising time: 2 ½ -3 hours
Ruth’s tip: because short ribs are so fatty, I like to make them the day before serving and keep them in the fridge to harden the fat, for easy removal.
Final reheating time: 30 minutes or so

Serves 6

Ingredients:
4 ½ - 5lb/ 2-2 ¼ kg British style short beef short ribs – about 2-3” long(8-12 ribs)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to season
2 cups total onions, carrots, fennel root (my choice) or celery, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried)
1-2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ oz/14g dried mushrooms, steeped in hot water & coarsely chopped – reserve the liquid
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup vermouth
1 cup mushroom soaking liquid
1 cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth
1-2 tbsp fresh Italian/flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C. Choose an 8 quart/litre Dutch oven. If you’re lucky, you own an enamel coated cast iron roaster. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat. The pan should be hot before searing the meat.

2. Searing - Season the meat with salt and pepper. Add as many ribs as will fit in the pan without crowding or overlapping. ( I seared them in three batches) Cook, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides (3-4 minutes or so per side – the meat will no longer stick to the pan). Transfer the ribs to a platter and repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan.

3. Cooking aromatics - Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil and the aromatics (onion, carrots, fennel root). Season with ½ tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the aromatics are soft and lightly browned (about 6-8 minutes).

4. Adding spices, herbs & flavor boosters - Add the thyme, paprika, tomato paste, dried mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring until well distributed and fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).

5. Deglaze the pot – pour vermouth into the pot and cook stirring to scrape up browned bits on the bottom and until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tbsp (about 1 minute).

6. Braising - Add all the ribs and juices to the pot, and pour the broth, red wine, and mushroom soaking liquid over the ribs as evenly as possible. The ribs should never be more than two layers deep. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover and put the pot in the oven. Cook, turning the ribs with tongs about every 40 minutes until they are fork tender (about 2 ½ hours).

7. Best advice from fineCooking and me…cook this at least several hours in advance (my suggestion, the day before) and allow to cool to room temperature and then place overnight in the fridge. This allows the fat to congeal and you can scoop it off the meat and vegetables very easily. To reheat, arrange the meat to fit snugly in a baking dish, cover with foil and place in a preheated 350°F/170°C oven and reheat the sauce on top of the stove.

8. Finish and serve: transfer the ribs to a serving platter. Let the sauce cool for a few minutes and skim off any remaining fat. Season sauce to taste and finish with a sprinkling of parsley.