Short rib is the braise for people who want to look effortless. You sear, you pour in a bottle of red, you walk away for three hours — and when the doorbell rings, the house smells like a steakhouse. The cut is rich, so the sauce matters as much as the meat: a deep reduction of the braising liquid, sharpened with a spoonful of the drinking wine at the end. Serve it over mashed potatoes or soft polenta, and open a big red early.
Wine Pairing
Recommended: Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Northern Rhône Syrah, or Rioja Gran Reserva
The braise needs tannin to cut through the fat: a Napa Cab mirrors the dark fruit in the sauce, Syrah adds black pepper and smoke, and an aged Rioja brings the leather-and-vanilla note that long cooking creates. Braise with an under-$20 Cab and serve something better; the sauce will never know the difference.
Ingredients
Main Components:
- 4 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine — Cabernet or Merlot
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs thyme, 3 sprigs rosemary
For Serving:
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed with butter and cream
- 1 head garlic, roasted
- Chopped parsley and flaky salt
Instructions
- Sear: Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Season the ribs aggressively on all sides. In a Dutch oven, brown them in olive oil on every face, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Build the base: In the rendered fat, cook the onion, carrots and celery for 8 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more.
- Deglaze and braise: Pour in the wine and reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, bay leaves and herbs, then nestle the ribs back in bone-side up, half-submerged in liquid.
- Slow cook: Cover and transfer to the oven for 3 to 3½ hours, until the meat pulls away from the bone with no resistance.
- Reduce the sauce: Lift out the ribs and keep them warm. Strain the liquid, skim the fat, and simmer hard until it coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Finish with a splash of the drinking wine.
- Serve: Plate the ribs over mashed potatoes, spoon over the reduction, and add roasted garlic, parsley and flaky salt.
Chef's Tips
- • Braise a day ahead and refrigerate; the fat lifts off in a single disc and the flavor deepens
- • Ask the butcher for English-cut ribs for even, bone-up braising
- • Do not let the braise boil in the oven; a bare tremble is right
- • Leftovers shred into the best ragù you will eat all winter
- • Scales beautifully: one pot feeds six as easily as it feeds three