Braised Short Ribs

I have a few bonus minutes right now because Baz has decided to take an extraordinarily long nap -- for him -- and Amelia has been kind enough to synchronize her latest nap to his. Guess going to Miami Beach Regional Library's story time was a good idea. Who knew a couple of kid books and sing-a-long songs would make everyone so tired. But, it might not last long, so I am going to try and take advantage of every precious minute. Besides, I made the best dinner last night and wanted to share.

Sure, overnight marinating and cooking something for four hours may not be in everyone's time budget. But, short ribs are one of those things you just have to let cook so even though it does take a ton of time, it isn't difficult or strenuous to make. It's quite simple actually. And it was so worth it! Damien even said it was a top five.

I looked at several different recipes and then sort of made up my own. The cure that I use is mostly based on a recipe I found for my favorite short ribs at Michy's here in Miami. It's one of our favorite restaurants and Michelle Bernstein is a fantastic local chef who you have seen as a judge on Top Chef from time to time. The rest of the recipe is based a lot on her ideas as well as the Balthazar recipe. I liked that Michelle's are a little sweet and spicy, but I think Balthazar's are so French and rich.

The only thing I wish I had done differently was made more ribs! 1 1/2 pounds didn't go as far as I would have thought.

Braised Short Ribs

Cure:

3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
2 pounds short ribs (with bones)

Combine all of the spices in a one gallon zip-lock bag and shake well. Dry the short ribs with paper towels and add them to the bag. Move them around so that all sides are coated with the spices. Refrigerate overnight or up to two days. (I chilled them for two nights.)

To cook the ribs:

2 tablespoons canola oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped or 1 cup of baby carrots
2 celery ribs
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, minced (I used powdered ginger because I forgot the fresh version and I really wish I hadn't done that.)
1 jalapeno pepper, cut in half (remove seeds depending on how spicy you want it)
1/4 cup orange juice
16 ounces chicken stock
16 ounces robust red wine like cabernet sauvignon
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
handful of parsley

Heat the oil in a pot that can also go in the oven -- like a dutch oven -- over medium heat. Add the garlic. Take the ribs out of the bag and without removing any of the spices that are sticking to the ribs, add them to the hot oil. Brown the short ribs on all sides being careful not to burn them but trying to get them crispy. Remove the ribs from the pot and set aside. Pour out just about all of the fat retaining about 1 tablespoon in the pot. Return to the heat.

Add the vegetables and saute until the onion is translucent. Then add the rest of the ingredients and bring it to a boil. Add the ribs back to the pot. Bring back up to a boil. Make sure that the ribs are completely covered with liquid. If not, add more chicken stock, wine and even water to cover.

Put the pot in a 350 degree oven and allow to cook for 3 hours. The ribs are done when they are very tender and are falling off the bone.

Take the pot out of the oven and remove the ribs. Set the aside. Pour the liquid through a sieve to remove all of the vegetables and herbs. Return the remaining liquid to the pot and continue cooking until it reduces by about half -- about 1 hour.

If you'd like the sauce to be a little thicker -- which I did -- take a tablespoon of flour and mix it with two tablespoons of water, stirring it until it is completely smooth. Very slowly add it to the sauce while stirring constantly to avoid any lumps.

Return the ribs to the sauce to reheat. You can serve it immediately, but this dish is also wonderful reheated later in the day.

I served the ribs on top of mashed sweet potatoes and a side of sauteed green beans. I wish I had found some haricot verts instead, but they were fine. It looked impressive and the ribs were succulent and super tasty. Like I said, I wish I had more.

So, that's it. Enjoy!