Historically, short ribs have been a throwaway piece of meat. But in the restaurant business, part of the job is figuring out how to make the most of every ingredient—which means turning a cheap cut of meat into a super-special meal. However, the secret to braising is out, which means short ribs are no longer an inexpensive cut. Still, with my big brown braising technique, they are totally amazing and well worth splurging on. Be sure to cook these LOW and SLOW—that’s the secret. Take your time getting these lovelies nice and brown, then shoot them in the oven and treat them like a stepchild. Just forget about ’em until they’re tender and crazy delicious!
Recipe information
Yield
serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Season the ribs generously with salt. Coat a large wide pan with olive oil and bring to high heat. Add the ribs to the pan and brown very well on all sides—this is an EXTREMELY important step in the development of big brown flavors. It may take up to 20 minutes—don’t rush it!
Step 3
While the ribs are browning, put the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste; set aside.
Step 4
When the ribs are very brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. Ditch the fat, add a bit of fresh olive oil, and add the puréed veggies to the pan. Season generously with salt and cook over medium-high heat until the veggies are very brown and a crud has formed on the bottom of the pan, 8 to 10 minutes. Scrape the crud and let it reform. Don’t rush this step.
Step 5
Add the tomato paste and prepared horseradish and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 6
Add the wine, bring it to a boil (BTB), and stir frequently to scrape the crud from the bottom of the pan (this is the big-money flavor). Continue cooking until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 7
Return the ribs to the pan and add enough water to barely cover the meat. Toss in the bay leaves and thyme bundle, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. Check the ribs every 45 minutes to make sure they are still covered in liquid; if the liquid has reduced too much, add more water. Turn the ribs after about 1 hour and continue cooking.
Step 8
Remove the foil during the last 20 minutes of cooking to let things get nice and brown and to let the sauce reduce. When the meat is done it should be very tender but not falling apart. To serve, remove the bay leaves and thyme bundle and spoon the sauce over the ribs and sprinkle with the chives and freshly grated horseradish for an extra kick.
