This is what I call comfort food.
These short ribs are melt-in-your mouth and coated in an incredibly red-wine based sauce. I think there are a couple secrets to making this extra delicious. First off, it’s hard to emphasize how important it is to brown your meat. Well-browned meat = flavor! Secondly, the generous portion of tomato paste gives the sauce sweetness and body that harmonizes so well with a healthy pour of red wine.
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, English cut short ribs (about 2lbs)
- Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, cut into ¾ inch pieces
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into ¾ inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1C tomato paste
- 2C dry red wine
- 2C low sodium beef stock, or as needed
- 1 bundle fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of sugar (optional)
- Parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Directions
- 1Preheat oven to 375°F. Pat the short ribs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Preheat a dutch oven to medium-high. Coat the pan with oil, and sear meat on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Set ribs aside and discard excess oil from the pot.
- 2Reduce heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of fresh oil to the pot. Add onion, celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Sauté 5-6 minutes or until vegetables start to soften. Add garlic and sauté about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until slightly darkened in color. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to high and reduce wine by half, stirring occasionally.
- 3Return short ribs to the pan and add enough stock to just cover. Stir in thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for a total of 2½-3 hours or until meat is very tender, checking liquid level every 30-60 minutes. Try to maintain the liquid at about ¾ way up the short ribs, adding additional stock or water, as needed. Remove ribs from sauce and keep. Skim off any visible fat from the surface of the sauce. Strain sauce through a sieve and discard herbs and vegetables. Return sauce to the pan and reduce to desired thickness. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of sugar, if desired. Add short ribs to pan, coat in sauce and garnish with parsley. Serve this with my pureed potatoes, polenta or side dish of choice.
