This year – 2012 – short ribs were eatured as the main dish on my Christmas Eve dinner table. I love short ribs and I couldn’t think of anything else to make for this dinner. Of course, I had to try a new recipe because I wasn’t in love with any of the ones I made before, plus I always like trying new things.
I think this recipe was quite successful. I’m not ready to say it was the best short rib recipe I’ve ever made, but it definitely was tasty and the sauce was delicious – both with the short ribs and the garlic mashed potatoes I served it with. The sauce was definitely rich and well balanced. The ribs, btw, were succulent and fall-off-the-bone tender. Regardless of what recipe I use in the future, I will cook them in this manner.
I made the short ribs the day before, not only because I don’t want to be crazy cooking on Christmas Eve, but because braised short-ribs are always better the next day.
I got this recipe from Chuck Hughes of the Cooking Channel (I had never heard of either, I found it through Google) and I modified it slightly. I used a roasting pan for this dish, as I had nothing else that was large enough for the ribs and veggies. I placed it on the stove over two burners.
It will serve 6 people.
Ingredients
- 8 meaty short ribs
- coarse salt
- flour for dredging
- canola oil
- 4 large onions, coarsely chopped
- 5 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
- 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2″ cylinders
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 bottles red wine
- 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. peppercorns
- 2 Tbsp butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Trim excess fat from the ribs. Season well with coarse salt. Dredge in flour.
Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with Canola oil and place on the stove over medium-high heat. When hot, add the short ribs and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, rosemary, thyme, star anise and cinnamon sticks to the pan. Cook until they caramelize, stirring frequently. Return meat to the pan and pour wine over the ribs. If they are not completely covered, top with water.
Mix in cocoa power, brown sugar and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, put in the oven, and cook for 3 hours.
Carefully remove ribs, and set aside. Strain out the braising liquid into a large cooking pot. Discard the veggies.
Place the pot on the stove and boil over medium-high heat until the liquid is reduced by about 1/3rd. Return the short ribs to the pot. Cool and then refrigerate until the next day.
When ready to reheat (30 to 60 minutes before serving), place the pot on the stove over medium heat and cook uncover until the liquid starts boiling. Stir to make sure the short ribs are moist all over. Cover and turn the heat down to a simmer.
Five minutes before serving, remove the ribs and place on the serving platter. Cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm. Taste the liquid, adjust seasoning and reduce further if needed to make it more intense. Add butter and serve with the ribs or on the side.
Marga’s 2012 Christmas Eve Dinner
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