Braised Beef Short Ribs

Beef, its what's for dinner. Normally I'm not a big beef eater, namely because my husband doesn't eat beef for health reasons so I don't cook it too often. But when my instructor said that we would be making Braised Beef Short Ribs for class, I was super excited. I love short ribs for the meaty flavor and tenderness when braised. This recipe was no exception and it was great to walk through the braising process with beef. Besides, I don't think I've ever seen such big short ribs quite like these...

Since we covered braising 101 with poultry when we made Coq au Vin, the technique is pretty much the same when it comes to beef. For this recipe, we each had 1 large rib to debone the short rib meat from. Considering how long this dish takes to braise, our class prepared one large, massive pot of Braised Beef Short Ribs.  Everything from the ribs, to the pots and utensils we used were on a much larger scale, which is typical in a commercial kitchen. Some days I wish my home kitchen was as big as a commercial kitchen just so I can knock out some dishes to feed the masses. Maybe I'm thinking too much about school because I even had a dream about installing a 3 compartment sink at home. Crazy... but it wouldn't be a bad idea. :)

This recipe is good and resulted in a very succulent beef dish. Braising meat like short ribs is definitely something to do on those lazy weekends in the fall and winter. It will warm your kitchen and belly with savory aromas and flavors, making it worthwhile to cook for hours.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
6 pounds short ribs of beef, cut into 2 inch portions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 cups diced or stewed tomatoes
3 cups brown beef stock
roux as needed
salt & pepper to taste
fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

To start off, we had to de-bone the short ribs before cooking. It's just an easy cut right up against the bone to remove. (These giant ribs had the silver skin removed prior to us de-boning).

With the bones removed, we saved them to make beef stock.

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and rosemary. Dredge the ribs in the seasoned flour.

Heat the oil in a heavy braiser and brown the ribs well. Remove and hold in a warm place (oven).

Add the onion, celery and tomatoes to the braiser and sauté lightly.

Add the ribs to the pot...

Add the stock...

And cook in a 300 degree oven until done or approximately 2.5 hours... or....

Cook on the stovetop over medium low heat, covered with parchment for 3 hours or until tender.

Check on the ribs and remove from the pot. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil on the stovetop; thicken with roux to a desired consistency and simmer for 15 minutes.

Strain the sauce and adjust the seasonings.

Plate the ribs and pour the sauce over them; garnish with freshly chopped parsley if desired.

Serve the ribs with mashed potatoes and the sauce on the side.