Cooks Illustrated Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipes

BEEF RIB ROAST WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Pulse garlic, rosemary, salt, and 1 tsp pepper in a food processor until smooth, then rub all over roast. Transfer to a rack set in a 13- by 9-inch roasting pan and marinate, chilled, at least 8 hours.
• Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Roast meat, fat side up, 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 110°F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Transfer to a platter and let rest, uncovered, 30 minutes (temperature of meat will rise to about 130°F for medium-rare).
• Do Ahead
• Beef can be marinated 1 day ahead.

BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat a roasting pan over high heat with the oil. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper. Add the ribs to the pan, then reduce the heat to medium. Sear on both the top and bottom of the meat, 2 to 3 minutes per side, reserving the pan drippings. After searing the ribs, add the stock, mirepoix, tomato paste, merlot, garlic and the reserved pan drippings to the pan. Tightly cover and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and check the ribs, which should be fork tender. If need be, continue cooking to achieve desired tenderness. Next remove the ribs and reserve the liquid to create sauce.
• Pour the reserved cooking liquid through a strainer, then discard the remaining vegetables. In a saucepan, blend the herbs and liquid over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid by three-quarters, yielding 3 cups of sauce. Pass the reduced sauce through a strainer, then set aside and keep warm.
• For the potatoes: In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until softened, 15 to 18 minutes, then drain. Pass the potatoes and butter through a food mill or ricer into a bowl. Next add the salt and pepper, and then blend with a whisk. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
• To serve, place the mashed potatoes in the center of the plate, top with a short rib, and finish with the warm sauce. Repeat for the remaining short ribs.

BEER-BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• First, make the marinade. Mix the spices and 3 tbsp salt in a bowl, then stir in the oil to make a paste. Use a knife to make a deep hole in each short rib, then rub the spice mix all over and into the hole, working the flavour into the meat. Place on a tray, cover and chill overnight.
• The next day, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan, tip in the onions and fry until you start to get a deep, rich colour - about 20 mins. Don't be scared of the colour, this will add amazing savoury sweetness to the dish. Pour in the beer and boil to reduce by half, then add the stock, treacle, thyme and oak chips, if using. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Place the marinated short ribs in your largest roasting tin. Pour over the onion and beer braising liquid, then cover tightly with foil. Transfer to the oven and cook the short ribs for 5 hrs or until really tender.
• Once the ribs are cooked, remove and put on a plate to rest and cool. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan. Once settled, use a ladle to remove the top layer of fat, then set over a high heat. Simmer the sauce until it becomes rich and glossy, then whisk in the ketchup, mustard and brown sauce.
• To barbecue the ribs, heat your coals until ashen or set a gas barbecue to medium. Cook the ribs until nicely charred and hot all the way through, then baste with the sauce to finish and cook until sticky. To cook them indoors, heat the grill. Set a wire rack over an oven tray and place the ribs on top. Baste well with the sauce and grill, basting with the sauce a few times, until it forms a charred, sticky crust. Set aside to rest before serving with the onion rings and slaw (see Goes well with).

GARLIC BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH RED WINE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 275 degrees. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Working in batches, sear short ribs on all sides until deeply and evenly browned, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer browned short ribs to a large plate and continue with remaining ribs.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of remaining fat, leaving the good browned bits behind. Reduce heat to medium, and add garlic, cut side down and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion, celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and continue to cook until vegetables are softened but not yet browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste has started to caramelize a bit on the bottom and up the edges of the pot, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add red wine and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned or caramelized bits. Let this simmer 2 to 3 minutes, just to take the edge off and reduce a bit. Stir in beef stock along with thyme. Using tongs, return short ribs to the pot, along with any juices that have accumulated, nestling them in there so that they are submerged (if they are just barely covered, nestle them bone side up so that all the meat is submerged, adding more beef stock or water as necessary to cover). Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven.
• Cook, undisturbed, until short ribs are meltingly tender and falling off the bone (you should be able to shred the meat with a fork), 3½ to 4 hours.
• Using tongs, remove the ribs from the pot, taking care (for presentation purposes, really) not to let the bone slip out and transfer them to a large plate. (While you could serve the short ribs right out of this pot, the vegetables have all given up their flavor and texture and aren't worth much now, so feel free to strain the sauce for easier eating.) Scatter parsley, chives and lemon zest over the top of the short ribs. Separate the fat from the sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve alongside.