How To: Braise Short Ribs

"Braising" sounds like such a complicated, chef-y thing, but it's probably one of the easiest cooking techniques you can have in your arsenal. The most important part of braising: patience. As long as you're okay with delayed gratification, you'll enjoy braised meats. And they're totally worth the wait. The slow cook makes the meat incredibly tender, which makes braising the perfect technique to use with tougher cuts of meat, like short ribs. Here's a visual replay of the steps I took:



After I trimmed the meat away from the bones, I cut the meat into smaller pieces, then coated them with flour. I browned the meat in the pan, then drained off the oil, returned the meat to the pan and added red wine. After the wine cooked down, I added chicken stock and set the pot on simmer for a few hours.


You can braise on top of the stove, or in the oven. The recipe I made today calls for a stove-top braise; if you opt for the oven, you set the oven at 250 to 350 degrees and cook the meat, uncovered, for a few hours.





Here's the recipe I used: it's from the October issue of Food & Wine:

SHORT RIB STEW
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
3 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups dry red wine
3 cups veal or chicken stock
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch dice
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
8 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, toss the short ribs with the flour. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Working in batches, cook the short ribs over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 6 minutes per batch. Discard the oil.
2. Return the meat and any juices to the casserole. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, 8 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the meat is tender, 2 hours.
3. Skim any fat from the stew. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onion, mushrooms, thyme and sage. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.