There is truly nothing like sinking your teeth into a skillfully-prepared piece of meat. If you’ve got a special occasion coming up, you may want to consider this recipe based on Alison Roman’s short ribs. Braised to tender perfection using garlic, aromatics, wine, and herbs, this is one of the most satisfying meals you can make for your family or lover.

Flavorful, tender, juicy and decadent, meat is a luxury consumed quite casually in modern American culture. Are you looking to make your red meat into a special occasion? This braised short rib recipe (based on Alison Roman’s short ribs) is about as good as beef gets.

What Are Short Ribs?

Short ribs are a cut of meat typically taken from the chuck or brisket areas of a cow and are formed from the shortest portion of the rib cage where the bones are not quite long enough to be considered “ribs.”

Short ribs are typically cut in two ways: either in individual pieces with meat around the bone (English style) or in one long piece of meat holding three cross-sections of rib together (“plate” style).

What’s Great About Short Ribs?

Short ribs have a naturally high fat content and, if cooked properly, they can be incredibly flavorful and tender. They are also very rich and filling, so less meat “goes further” when it comes time to eat.

Where Can I Purchase Short Ribs?

This is a great excuse to head to your local butcher and strike up a conversation! Supporting local always feels good. If this option is not accessible to you, I recommend checking out delivery services such as Moink Box or Porter Road. For another decadent short ribs recipe, check out my recent post based on @ladyandpups’ miso braised short rib au jus sandwich!

Decadent Braised Beef (Based on Alison Roman’s Short Ribs)

First, gather your ingredients.

For this recipe, I used Kettle & Fire brand bone broth–though any low-sodium broth will work here. If all you have on hand is salted broth, factor that in as you season the dish.

What I love about this recipe is how straightforward it is. First, brown the seasoned meat. Then, flavor the remaining oil with two heads of garlic, adding chopped vegetables and tomato paste (also known as mirepoix).

Garlic flavored rendered fat and canola oil coat the vegetables as they begin to cook. This removes all those delicious crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add your liquids and thyme…

Then in go the browned short ribs so that the meat is submerged (bone up).

Then cover and bake at a low temperature for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Serve your ribs with rice or potatoes. Don’t forget to enjoy it with the sauce, fresh herbs, and Alison Roman’s recommended lemon zest!

…did I mention the knife is optional? Bon appetit!

Braised Short Ribs (Adapted from Alison Roman)

Deeply flavorful, these garlicky short ribs fall off the bone after 4 hours of braising.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course dinner, Main Course, meat

Cuisine American, traditional

Servings 3 people

Equipment

• 6.2 liter heavy bottomed dutch oven

Ingredients

  

• 3-4 lbs short ribs, at least 2 per person but no more than 5 lbs
• diamond kosher salt, for seasoning
• finely ground pepper, for seasoning
• 2 Tbs canola oil
• 2 heads garlic, halved crosswise through the bulbs
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3/4 bottle dry red wine
• 2 cups beef broth, preferably bone broth, or one package Kettle & Fire bone broth
• 4 grams fresh thyme, tied in a small bundle if you have the baker's twine
• chopped parsley, for serving
• chopped chives, for serving
• freshly grated lemon zest, for serving

Instructions

 

• Generously season dry ribs on all sides with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside 15-30 minutes before browning to allow the meat to come to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 275°F.
• Chop celery, carrots, and onion into large chunks and set aside. Uncork wine.
• Heat canola oil over medium-high flame in a heavy bottomed dutch oven. Working in batches if necessary, brown the meat on all sides until golden, about 10 minutes. Place on a wide plate, then pour rendered fat into a liquid measuring cup. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the fat back into the dutch oven, then add the chopped vegetables. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the browned bits from the bottom of the pan have been lifted from the moisture from the vegetables.
• Add tomato paste and stir. Cook about 3 minutes, or until the paste has begun to caramelize, become fragrant, and turned a rusty color.
• Add wine to the pot, slowly at first so you can scrape up any remaining brown bits. Add the remainder and simmer about 2 minutes. Add the broth and thyme and stir. Add browned ribs, meat side down, into the liquid and bring everything to a simmer. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven 3 1/2 to 4 hours. The short ribs should be falling off the bone and very tender.
• Gingerly remove short ribs from the dutch oven using tongs. Place on a serving platter and cover with tin foil, allowing them to rest about 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, skim as much fat as possible from the liquid in the dutch oven. Drain over a bowl using a fine mesh seive and discard the vegetables and garlic. Return the liquid to the dutch oven and cook over medium heat, until the mixture has reduced noticeably, about 10 minutes.
• As the sauce is reducing, chop parsley and chives and zest the lemon. Uncover short ribs and garnish with herbs and zest, and plenty of sauce. Enjoy with rice or potatoes, and the last 1/4 bottle of wine.

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