Short Ribs

While the weather is getting better and it's pretty much time to move away from braising and to grilling I had to do short ribs one last time.

The recipe I used was similar to my first post and this recipe. I did a few things different though. Here's what you need.

4 slices of bacon
3 pounds of beef short ribs
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper
1 large carrot diced
1 rib of celery diced
1 large onion diced
3 cloves of garlic diced
1 bottle of zinfandel
2 cups of beef stock
1 TBLSP dried thyme
1 TBLSP dried oregano
1 bay leave
1 TSP red pepper flake
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 pound of crimini mushrooms

Chop up the bacon into 1.2 inch pieces and place in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy and fat is rendered. Set aside.

Dredge short ribs in flour and season with salt and pepper. Sear each of the short ribs, working in batches if necessary, until they are seared on all sides, set aside. After all the ribs are done deglaze the pan with a little of the wine getting all the brown bits up. Cook until all the wine is cooked off.

Turn the pan down to medium and add the onions, celery and carrots and cook for five to seven minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minutes or so making sure you don't burn the garlic. Add the ribs and bacon to the pot and add the wine, beef stock and spices.

Bring to a boil, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for three to four hours. After about two hours add the sliced mushrooms.

I feel like I'm on a roll between this and the meal I cooked last Sunday. These turned out exceptionally well. The zinfandel added a nice flavor and there was a sweetness and a tartness to the tender meat. I'm glad they worked out because I won't likely be making them again until it gets cold out again. Though now I do get to look forward to grilling season.