(updated 4/28/17)
“Mmmm…What’s for dinner? Short ribs?!” There’s no mistaking the aroma of a slow braise with beef and a hearty red wine–it even tends to waft down the neighborhood and attract attention.
A big pot of short ribs is one of my favorite make-ahead meals. Invest time browning the meat and setting your slow cooker to work one day, then stash the pot in the refrigerator to eat tomorrow or in a couple days. There is no easier way to have a few people over for dinner. Focus your day-of energy getting psyched to hang out, and cook something easy to contain the broth: celery root purée and polenta are my two favorites.
I first learned how to make these short ribs at one of Alex Lee’s cooking classes, back in his Daniel NYC days. He used 3 bottles of wine, so his was even better than this, but have no fear, even a single bottle of wine for the cooking works great. Got more? Pour it in, it only gets better. Serve with polenta or celery root mashed potatoes and a hearty bottle of red.
Here’s what the short ribs look like after browning and before putting them in the pot with braising liquid and the veggies.
Leeks and other goodies to go in the pot.
Polenta Basics (for 8 people): Bring 8 cups water to boil, add 2 teaspoons sea salt, 2 cups polenta and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, add in 2 – 4 tablespoons butter, olive oil, or a little of both, to finish. Turn off heat, cover and let stand until ready to serve (within 30 minutes or the polenta will harden).
See ingredients for “The meat”, “The veggies” and “The braising liquid” when shopping.
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Amy’s Kitchen Coach Tips
- One of the keys to a good braise is to be patient with the browning process at the very beginning. With short rib chunks, it is essential to take the time to brown each surface — so the browning is going to take you about 45 minutes – 1 hour. It will be time well spent, so don’t rush it.
- The more wine the better, but I know it is tough to pour more than one bottle into a dinner. If you happen to open a bottle while you’re cooking, pour a glass or two to drink then add the rest to the braising liquid in step 1 above. It’ll only make it better.
- If you can’t find the Stock Options frozen stock, substitute 2 cups of other liquid — beef broth (taste first and make sure you like it!) or more wine.
- All stews and braises get better with a little time on them. Take the pressure off yourself and make this dish a day or two in advance, store in the refrigerator, remove the hardened fat then reheat gently on the stovetop when you are ready to serve.
