Northwest Wine - Online Magazine
Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs
Looking for a way to cook short ribs until perfectly tender without having the meat fall apart? Brining is the answer; it firms the meat enough to keep it on the bone and adds flavor. Need an excuse to go fire up the grill on a cool afternoon. This could be your obsession for a dreary day around the homestead.
Here's what you do:
1) Combine all the basic brine items in a heavy gauge pot, bring to a boil and cool. When the brine is cool, place short ribs in brine for 1 - 3 hours (can be done up to 2 days ahead). Remove from brine and pat dry.
2) On a BBQ grill over medium heat, sear the short ribs to a golden brown (can be done a day ahead). If you need to do this all indoors, heat a large high-sided sauté pan over moderately high heat until hot. Add a film of olive oil. When oil begins to smoke, brown short ribs on all sides. (They brown quickly because of the sugar in the brine.) When richly browned, place in a dish that can go from stovetop to oven.
3) Preheat oven to 300°F. In a braising pan, caramelize the vegetables, add the wine and reduce until almost dry.
4) In a braising pan, Add onion, carrot, and celery to sauté pan and cook over moderately high heat until vegetables are well caramelized. Transfer vegetables to pan with short ribs. Add red wine to sauté pan and simmer until reduced by half, scraping up any stuck-on bits with a wooden spoon. Add stock and sherry vinegar, bring to a boil and pour over short ribs. Bring short ribs to a boil on top of the stove, then cover and bake until fork-tender, about 3 hours.
5) Remove ribs from pan and keep warm. Strain braising liquid into a medium sauce pot, add the tomatoes, and reduce over medium high heat until it coats the back of a spoon.
6) Stir in chopped oregano and serve.
Notes: This is the same sort of method we use for pulled pork sandwiches - grill ‘em once outside and bake it again inside. If you like fennel bulbs, they make a great addition to the braised vegetables. Serves 4.
Source: Adapted from Tra Vigne - St. Helena, CA
Wine Pairings
Classic red blends, a big smoky Syrah, a hearty Merlot
Ingredient List
Here's what you need:
For Short Ribs
- 4 each, 4 bone beef short ribs
- 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 16 ounces beef stock
- 8 ounces red wine
- 4 ounces sherry vinegar
- 4 ounces tomatoes, crushed
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 gallon basic brine
For the Basic Brine:
- 1 gallon water
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 juniper berries
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