If you are ready to veer from your regular holiday meal and try something a little different, this will be a new hit to be sure! Short ribs are so easy to prepare yet hold such an air of being very gourmet and special.
Make sure you get your beef from grass fed cows. Also, ensure there is a good sized cut of meat on each bone. I recently bought some short ribs from a poor cow who had been enduring the drought. He did not have much meat to spare. Slow cooking the meat with the bone in creates a delicious sauce that you will want to serve with the meat. And once you polish off this dish, don’t let those bones go into the trash, but instead save them for making your next beef stock. Try serving this dish with the roasted vegetables I suggested below. It is a great combination.
- 5 pounds (3-inch thick cut) bone-in beef short ribs
- 1 bunch rosemary, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 bunch sage leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Celtic sea salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (750-ml) bottle Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or other dry red wine
- Olive oil, for searing ribs
- 1 yellow onion, medium dice
- 2 ribs celery, medium dice
- 2 carrots, peeled and medium dice
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 quarts beef stock
- 3 bay leaves
- Herb Roasted Root Vegetables
- 1 pound heirloom potatoes
- 2 medium size carrots
- 1 medium size onion
- 2 medium size parsnips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- Celtic sea salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Rub the ribs with herbs, salt and pepper. Place in a large ceramic or glass bowl and cover with wine. Marinate for 12 hours in the refrigerator.
- Remove ribs from marinade, pour all wine marinade into a saucepan, and reduce by half on medium-low heat.
- Heat a layer of olive oil in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Sear ribs on all sides until well browned.
- Place browned ribs into a braising or deep roasting pan.
- Brown onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in the same cast iron pan, adding more oil as needed. Scatter browned vegetables over the ribs.
- Add the reduced wine, beef stock and bay leaves. Cover the pan with a lid or with parchment paper and foil and place in the oven for 5 hours.
- Transfer from the oven and allow the ribs to rest for 1 hour.
- Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside.
- While ribs are resting, strain sauce into a sauce-pot and reduce for 1 hour.
- Pour hot sauce over ribs and vegetables and serve. (Serve ribs with bone in).
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Slice vegetables into 1 inch chunks.
- Toss with minced herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place on sheet pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until slightly caramelized, tossing half way through cooking.
This is really good with brussel sprouts also!