Hearty Braised Short Ribs

Braised short ribs seem to be on every menu this fall. Whether started in a dutch oven on top of the stove and finished in a slow oven, or put in a slow cooker (or crock pot) all day: low and slow are the key words. We own two slow cookers but invariably return to the stove top and the oven.  I myself am intimidated by not being able to stir and flip and reseason a dish, aka "don't lift the lid". So I rarely use the slow cooker. I just have to peek in to see how things are going!

We have been making short rib recipes for many years and have made all kinds. BBQ sauced, red wine gravy style, pot roast style and on and on... We have cooked them using the slow cooker, the pressure cooker , the grill and our favorite way, the dutch oven. This was the first time using this particular recipe from Bon Appetit October 2009 . It was good, just not as great as some of the other recipes we've used for short ribs.

I bought what I thought was a rutabaga and a turnip, (thats how it was marked at the store) turns out I ended up with two rutabagas. The recipe only calls for the turnip but I had to be different, ha that'll teach me! The recipe also calls for sun-dried tomatoes of which I had none left, though I thought I did. So instead I added a can of diced tomatoes. Maybe these are some of the reasons it was not a favorite for us. I should give this one more shot, exactly as the recipe dictates. Then I can feel better about discarding the recipe if we don't love it.

Season ribs with salt and pepper and brown the ribs on all sides.

Remove and set aside.

Add onion and vegetables; cook until lightly browned and tender. Add tomatoes and spices; stir to combine. Next add ribs back to pot and add the wine; simmer until slightly reduced. Finally add broth; cover and bring back to simmer. Tranfer pot to 350 degree oven and braise until ribs are tender, about 2 hours.

We love beef short ribs, even if they are not in a favorite sauce recipe. They are always fall off the bone, melt in your mouth deliciousness. Just go ahead and search the internet and you will find dozens of different ways to make these. And they will always be fall off the bone delicious.

Michael and Carla