Mushroom-Braised Short Ribs
Serves 6
When you experience a craving for beef, nothing satisfies like short ribs, which have as pure and true a beef flavor as you could imagine. This intensity derives from a number of factors including their dense consistency, their relatively high fat content, and the fact that they are affixed to a bone, which is also a source of tremendous flavor.
One of the most impressive things about short ribs is that they have the ability to take on the flavors of other ingredients during slow cooking without sacrificing their own beefy flavor. Here, they are paired with dried morel mushrooms, to create a potent double whammy of the most extreme examples of beef and mushroom known to man.
When I make this at home, I serve it with Mashed Potatoes or Potato Gratin.
6 pounds short ribs (about 6 pieces)
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
9 cups store-bought, reduced-sodium beef broth
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup dried morel or porcini mushrooms, rinsed
1. The day before cooking, season the ribs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
3. Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the ribs and brown them on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar, broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir in the mushrooms. Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Return the ribs to the pan, cover with aluminum foil, and braise in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for 3 more hours or until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.
6. To serve, remove the ribs from the braising liquid and divide them among 6 warm, shallow bowls. (Leave the bone—it makes a dramatic presentation.) Strain the braising liquid, discarding the solids. Skim off and discard the fat from the liquid and pass as a sauce at the table.
VARIATION
Beer-Braised Short Ribs
Bring one of the most perfect accompaniments to beef—beer—to short ribs. Replace the wine with beer and omit the vinegar and morels. The success of this variation depends on the right beer: You want a dark or honey brown-colored brew, something with an inherent sweetness and no bitterness whatsoever.
Grilled Short Rib and Horseradish Sandwich
Let the short ribs cool, then remove the meat from the bone and cut it into 1-inch-thick slices. Swirl some grated horseradish into the braising liquid. Grill the short-rib slices on one side over a high heat until caramelized and nice grill marks have formed, then turn and cook on the other side. Or sear them in a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Sandwich between slices of your favorite bread and dress with some of the horseradish-infused braising liquid.