Short Ribs and Eggnog… Happy Holidays

Slow Cooked Sweet Herb Pinot Noir  Braised Beef Short Ribs In Caramelized onion and Red Potato Demi Glace Served atop whipped Russet Potatoes

spiced rum blended eggnog

I always think I can post things without a recipe and get away with it but then someone asks me for one so I write it out the way I would talk to you if I were making it next to you which is a little weird but I hate formal recipes oh well here it is

I only used Pinot Noir because i had a bottle that was about to go you can use a heavier wine but i like the lightness of Pinot it lends to a lot of flavor melding

I’ve made about a million short ribs in my life I worked as an executive chef at an Italian restaurant so i don’t think about recipes anymore but here’s a rough description of what I did.

These were done in a slow cooker but you could do them in the oven. Also having short ribs that have the bone attached adds to the richness of the dish and the fat and marbling of the meat also is something to look for when you buy this type of meat because that’s also going to lend a huge hand in favor development. Also for really good short ribs you have to have homemade gelatinous stock made from lots and lots of bones to make demi gloss which means that over this entire dish if you want it to be perfect is a combination of many tasks which are all time consuming. You can use stock you have buy but it’s not the same Sorry but once you get this down braising anything is a breeze.

I’m a firm believer in ratio cooking and making sure you taste your sauces along the way to adjust to your personal preference. These are guidelines, let me know if you have any other questions.

Slow Cooked Sweet Herb Pinot Noir Braised Beef Short Ribs in Caramelized onion and Red Potato Demi Gloss Served atop whipped Russet Potatoes

I used a package of short ribs that were cut about 2-2 1/2 inches thick with bone attached which weighted about 4 pounds and was cut into roughly 5 pieces

1st I heated a large skillet with extra virgin olive oil/vegetable oil mix which is about 3 table spoons vegetable  to 1 tablespoon olive to very hot this will keep the oil from smoking. Then I seasoned the meat liberally with salt and cracked black pepper as well as onion powder and garlic powder then I added the meat to the hot pan searing each side about 4-5 minutes per side to get a really crispy golden color on the meat.  If you cook the meat in two batches make sure that you wait till the pot is heated up again before putting in the second batch of meat.

Once all the meat is cooked I set it aside in the slow cooker. If you’re going to use the oven preheat to about 325. Then I chopped one large white onion, about 1/2 bunch of chives, 2 springs of rosemary taken off the stem, minced 2 tablespoons of sage, and chopped 2 large green onions to the white and 2 cloves of garlic. Add that to the meat drippings and sauté till translucent and fragrant. You don’t have to use all this stuff you can use just whatever you’d like I just used stuff I had in the fridge that I didn’t want to get bad. I love onions and braising it makes everything taste sweet and delicious but you could use other things that you like I’ve done it with mushrooms and that comes out well. So after that I put about one small can of tomato paste in the mixture cook for about 5-7 minutes till the tomato paste is well heated through  make sure the head it about medium so you don’t burn anything.

Then I added about ½ bottle of the pinot noir or use a wine that you would like to use. I just had that on hand so in it went. Simmer about 15 minutes and stir occasionally incorporating everything nicely. Now this is my trick. I add about 1 cup of coke or you could use root beer or doctor pepper (I’ve used them all they all give it a caramely sweet flavor to the meat that’s really common with short ribs) and about 3 table spoons to up to a  ¼ cup of brown sugar depending on your level of sweetness preferred.  If you don’t want your short ribs to be sweet omit soda and sugar then just add the stock to the wine. I’d add a bit more rosemary and onion if I didn’t use the sugar. Add enough stock to your pan to make sure your meat is covered. Simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning salt and pepper but don’t over salt because this sauce will reduce. Large chop Red Rose potatoes as many as you’d like to serve and add them to your meat. Then if using the slow cooker pour sauce over meat place lid on cook on low for about 6-8 hours till meat slides off of the bone.  If you are making these in the oven use a large baking dish with sides high enough to contain all liquid so the meat is covered. Place in oven with foil over the top and bake about 4-5 hours checking at 4 to see if the meat is falling off the bone.  After you’ve cooked the short ribs take them out of the sauce then return the sauce to a sauté pan and reduce by ½

When braising the liquid should be fairly thin because it will reduce when cooking if you feel at any time that there is not enough liquid covering the short ribs add more stock to the pot

Make desired mashed potatoes or serve with sautéed spinach, greens, or Swiss chard

Serve meat over mash and vegetable then ladle sauce and enjoy