This recipe is suitable for special events or a simple evening at home, as you can never go wrong with ribs. Besides being delicious, once prep is done, you’re free to enjoy the day while dinner slow-cooks in the oven.
Course: Main Course Cuisine: American Prep Time: Cook Time: 3 Hours Servings: 6
8 whole, thick-cut, meaty short ribs
2 teaspoons sea salt (I prefer Maldon)
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose organic flour
6 pieces thick-sliced bacon
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup diced, sweet yellow onion
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch cubes
8 cloves of garlic, rough chopped
8 cloves of garlic, whole
1/4 cup scallions or green onion, fine chopped (set aside for garnish)
2 cups red wine (a hearty cabernet works well)
1 cup beef bone broth (available at Butcher Block, Bentley Ranch and Trader Joe’s)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Place flour, along with half the salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme, into a bowl and combine.
Cut the short ribs along the bone, so each is approximately 2-by-2-inches. Once that’s done, place “riblets” in flour mixture, dredging until completely covered.
Chop bacon into 1/2-inch squares and cook in a frying pan until almost crispy. This will render the bacon fat.
While the bacon is cooking, it’s time to start cooking the other ingredients. In a Dutch oven, place 1 tablespoon canola oil, onion, garlic, celery and carrots, and cook slowly over medium heat until vegetables appear translucent. Add bacon, reserving bacon fat in the frying pan.
Add 2 tablespoons of the leftover flour and herb mixture to the vegetables to make a rue. Now add the wine, pouring slowly over the vegetables and bacon; add the broth and allow to cook 20 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
Returning to the frying pan, sear and braise the riblets on all four sides until dark brown. Once done, place carefully in Dutch oven and ladle a little bit of the broth into the frying pan to deglaze. Once deglazing is complete, ladle back into Dutch oven, and cover with the lid. Place in preheated, 350 degrees oven for three hours.
Make sure ribs are covered by liquid. You may have to add a little more wine, which is never bad.
One hour into baking, remove Dutch oven from the oven and add potato cubes. Return to oven and finish baking the additional two hours. Once done, pull out of the oven and carefully arrange short ribs on a serving platter, ladling sauce over the tops. Garnish with scallions or green onion.
This is nicely paired with a beautiful green salad and a craft beer.
