Recipe of the Week

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Servings: 6

Courtesy of: "The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show" cookbook Photograph by: Your's Truly

I love, love, love America's Test Kitchen recipes! They almost always turn out just like they are supposed to; this recipe being no exception. I served this over wide egg noodles. Delicious! 

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Vegetable peeler

Large Dutch oven

Medium bowl

Wooden spoon

Small bowl

Tongs

Aluminum foil

Fine-mesh strainer

Fat separator (optional)

INGREDIENTS:

- 3 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat

Make sure that they are at least 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. If you can't find boneless, buy 7 pounds of bone-in. To bone you simply take a chef's knife and run it as close the bone as you can, then just trim the excess hard fat and silver skin from both sides. 

- Table salt and ground black pepper

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- 2 large onions, sliced thin from pole to pole (about 4 cups)

- 1 tablespoon tomato paste

- 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled

- 2 cups red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Cotes du Rhone

I buy the 4-pack of the small bottles. That way you don't have to crack open an entire bottle (unless you would like to drink the rest!)

- 1 cup beef broth

- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces

- 4 sprigs fresh thyme

- 1 bay leaf

- 1/4 cup cold water

- 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin
This is used to replace the body that the bones connective tissue would have added to the sauce.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Add half of the beef and cook, without stirring, until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn the beef and continue to cook on the second side until well-browned, 4 to 6 minutes longer, reducing the heat if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer the beef to a medium bowl. A bowl is important here to catch all of the juices. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining meat.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. (If the onions begin to darken too quickly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to the pan.) Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it browns on the sides and bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the wine, and simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth, carrots, thyme, and bay leaf. Add the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot; cover and bring to a simmer. The meat should be half-submerged in the liquid. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook, using tongs to turn the meat twice during cooking, until a fork slips easily in and out of the meat, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top; let stand at least 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the meat and carrots to a serving platter and tent with foil. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a fat separator or bowl, pressing on the solids. Allow the liquid to settle for about 5 minutes and strain off the fat. This is an important step. Short ribs have a tremendous amount of fat. Return the cooking liquid to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the meat and carrots and serve.