Braised Bourgignon-Style Short Ribs

There is nothing cozier on a cold winter night than a big bowl of this... 

A bottle of great red wine and a fire in the fireplace... That is exactly how John and I kicked off Christmas weekend last Thursday night.  Like most inexpensive cuts of beef, short ribs require a low-slow (3 hrs) cooking method but the result is fall-right-off-the-bone tenderness and a gravy that will make you lick your bowl clean.

Ingredients:   Serves 4 with leftovers

Braising:
3 1/2 pounds bone in beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2 inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 of a 750 ml bottle of dry red wine
8 sprigs of flat leaf parsley
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
3 cups of beef stock (low salt)

Garnish:
3 slices of bacon
1 large shallot- chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 package cremini or baby bella mushrooms, halved/quartered
2 thyme sprigs, leaves removed
2 tablespoons of brandy or dry vermouth
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

In a large cast iron dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium-high/high heat.  Season the ribs generously with kosher salt and black pepper.  In two batches, brown the meat on all sides - roughly 2 minutes per side.    Don't disturb them except for to rotate after 2 minutes.  This allows them to develop a nice crust.  Remove and drain on a papertowel.

Pour the fat out of the pan (do not rinse) and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil back to the pot.  Lower heat to medium.  Add the onion, celery and carrots.  Cook for 4 minutes, stirring often.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees at this point.

Add the flour to the pot, toss to coat the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes before adding the wine.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all of the bits with the help of the wine.  Add the ribs back to the pot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the wine has reduced a bit.

Add the beef stock, garlic and fresh herbs (whole on the stems is fine).  Cover the pot and place in the oven.  Cook for nearly 3 hours or until the bone can be easily pulled out of the meat.

While the ribs are in the oven- prepare the vegetables for the garnish.  This is where the bourgignon style bit comes in... Render the bacon in a saute pan over medium heat.  Remove the bacon once crispy.  Add one teaspoon of olive oil, the shallot, carrot and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown.  Add the thyme leaves for the last minute.

Add the vermouth/brandy and cook (or flambe if you like drama of a flame) until the liquid has evaporated.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Now back to the ribs... remove the ribs from the pot and set in a separate dish.  Strain the gravy through a sieve to remove the remaining vegetables, herbs, etc.  Return the ribs to the pan and pour the gravy over.  Gently fold in the garnish mixture and fresh parsley.

Serve over your favorite whipped potatoes (I like to whip half boiled potatoes and half boiled parsnips with butter and thyme and garlic infused cream) or buttered egg noodles with crusty bread for dipping.  You can crumble the bacon over the top as well.  I served a baby kale salad with balsamic vinaigrette, parmesan and pomegranate seeds on the side. 

While the recipe has numerous steps and takes 4 hours total, I assure you it is simple and the active time is minimal-  perfect for a Sunday or Saturday afternoon.  These are great for entertaining too as the short ribs can be made up to a day ahead of time and reheated before serving.  Add the parsley at the very last minute.