Chef Jaime's Red Wine Braised Short Ribs




Red Wine Braised Short Ribs 

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 pounds bone-in short ribs, at least 2 inches thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 heaping tablespoons red curry powder (McCormick)
1 large heads garlic, halved crosswise (keep skin on) 
1 medium onion (about 10 ounces), chopped
4 fresh celery ribs (about 8 ounces), chopped
2 medium carrots (about 6-8 ounces), chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups dry red wine (about 3/4 of a bottle)
3 cups beef stock or bone broth (use beef bouillon dissolved in water if unavailable
2 cups water to cover        
4 sprigs Rosemary
1 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon or orange zest

1. Season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper, flour and curry spice. In your hot pan sear the short ribs on all sides until they are deeply and evenly browned, 6 to 8 minutes should suffice making sure to create a rich crust. Transfer the browned short ribs onto a dish until the rest of the recipe is achieved. (Then return to pot)
             
2. Pour off all but maybe a few tablespoons of the remaining fat, Make sure to leave all of the browned bits and pieces on the bottom of your pan as its very valuable flavor. Add your onions, celery and carrots and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss to coat and continue to cook until the vegetables are softened but not too browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook it out for a few minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste has started to caramelize and it browns a bit at the bottom of your dutch oven, approx 3-5 minutes.

3. Add your dry red wine wine and, using a wooden spoon, start to scrape up all of your caramelized browny bits. Let this simmer for  2 to 3 minutes, let it reduce a little bit. Stir in beef stock along the rosemary sprigs. Using kitchen tongs, return short ribs to the pot, making  sure that the ribs are fully submerged (You might have to make room in the pot if it is tight but try to get all the ribs bone side up and snuggled all together). Bring it to a nice simmer, cover it and get it ready to place it into your Viking oven.

4. Cook, without opening the lid (Do not disturb it), until the short ribs are incredibly tender. ( the meat will actually be falling off of the bone I promise!), 3 1/2to 4 hours. Remove your pot from the oven using oven mitts.  
             
5. It is time to take the ribs out of the pot so be careful because they will be hot and the bones may fall out which is fine. I try to keep the bones intact so they look good on the plate. The vegetables will be mush so I normally strain them out and save the sauce for the plating presentation. I like to remove most of the fat that floats on top of the cooking juices. Taste the sauce and see if it needs salt. Also you can reduce it down to thicken or add a little cornstarch slurry to thicken.

6.This is wonderful over soft polenta or grits. I also like garnishing this dish with lemon and orange zest and chopped parsley. If you have any left over its so good the next day warmed and served with a poached egg.