The Final Countdown

Well, the air is abuzz with football energy here in New England today as we countdown to tip off tonight.  The New England Patriots are playing in the NFL’s  AFC Championships tonight, but you’d think it was the Super Bowl around here!  If you’re hosting a party today and can’t figure out what do make, don’t fret.  Even if the game doesn’t go our way tonight, at least the food will be a winner with these short ribs.  

This does take a few hours to cook, but it will indeed be ready to serve during the first quarter if you run to the store now.  But before I dive in, a little digression is necessary.

A couple weekends ago, I received my Christmas present from my lovely parents in the mail…here it is, in all it splendor.  In the words of Carrie Bradshaw, “Hello, lover.”   

One of these has been on my Wish List for a few years now, but I’ve never been able to pull the trigger, so to speak.  I had to christen it with the perfect dish, and it ended up being a beef short ribs recipe of my own design.  I was thrilled with how it turned out and cooking with this new addition to my kitchen arsenal is a dream. 

Double Soused Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef spare ribs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

3 carrots, diced

¼ cup honey

½ cup red wine vinegar

8 cloves garlic, halved

1 – 750ml bottle of red wine

1 cup ruby port

6 cups beef broth

2 sprigs rosemary

6 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to season

Preparation:

Add olive oil to a large pot and bring to medium heat.

First things first, let’s talk anatomy of a short rib, if you’re not familiar.  Short ribs are a cut of meat from the plate, or underbelly region of the cow.  They are created by cutting from the top down the rib cage and then separating the meat between each rib.   

It’s a particularly fatty and tough cut, which is why it is suited to long cooking techniques, like braising.  It also means it’s a relatively inexpensive cut.  I paid about $4.99/lb for mine. 

On one side of the bone is some connective tissue and a little fat.  On the other side is a thick slab of well-marbled beef and a silvery looking skin on top.  This silver skin is more connective tissue and doesn’t break down during the cooking process, so we need to remove it.   

See the silver in there?  There’s no added value as all the flavor is in the meat and from the marrow.  Take a sharp knife and VERY carefully run your knife in a sawing motion just underneath the silver skin to separate it from the meat.  This takes a little practice and it may not come off in a single sheet, but do try and remove it all.  A little patience in this step will be rewarded in the end.

See?  Isn’t it much prettier looking without that nasty silver skin?  Now once you’ve gone through that effort, pat everything dry with paper towels.  Three things I’ve learned about cooking meat: (1) dry meat gives you a better sear, (2) room temperature meat won’t stick to the bottom of you pan and stain it, and (3) protein is best cooked over lower heat.  We all have a tendency to cook meat, or eggs for that matter, on high temperature, but all it does is make the finished product tough. While it will take longer to cook during this step, the final result will be far superior.  There's nothing quick or rushed about this dish, so don't fudge it by trying to rush through this important step.

Now you can liberally season with salt and pepper on both sides and place ribs, meat side down,  into aforementioned pot.  Sear all sides until a nice brown crust forms.  It took me about 6 – 8 minutes on the meat side and a little less on the others.  We’re looking for a caramel color, not thorough cooking.  Remember, that will occur when the ribs take their tipsy bath.

Remove the ribs and set aside.  Now add onions, celery, and carrots to the pot and cook until soft and onions are translucent, about 5 – 7 minutes.  

 Now add honey and cook until the honey is reduced, about 2 minutes.  Add the red wine vinegar and cook until it has been completely absorbed by the vegetables. See how no liquid runs out when I pull the veggies pack with my spoon?  Perfect!

Now you can add the garlic and cook for just one minute.  Just long enough to release some of the oils, but not burn it.  Put the ribs back in the pot meat-side down and nestle them in amongst the veggies.  Pour in the port and wine and add the herbs.  Bring the mixture to a boil.

Heat your oven to 325 degrees while the pot is coming to a boil.  Once your pot is boiling, put on the lid and put into the oven for three hours.  Stir contents periodically.

After three hours, you will end up with what looks a bit like a hot mess…I mildly panicked, I will admit.  But don’t…it’s not worth it.  There’s magic in this pot, it just needs a little face lift. 

Skim the fat off the top with a spoon or a baster if you’ve got one, I don’t.  Next remove the spare ribs from the pot.  The meat will quite literally fall of the bone if it hasn’t already.  Now it’s time to remove the solids.  I poured the liquid through a strainer.  It’s amazing how much liquid has evaporated at this point.  If you do the math, we added 1 cup port, 4 cups wine, and 6 cups broth.  I had about 4 cups of liquid left after cooking.  Wow!

Now, add the liquid back to the pot and simmer on the stove until it’s reduced by half, about another hour.  I pulled any remaining fat off the meat and shredded it a bit before adding it back to the pot.  Who wants to eat that?

While the meat is warming up in the reduction, I whipped up some quick-cook polenta.  I didn’t have potatoes and rice didn’t make sense, so polenta is was!

Make a nice little nest on your plate, grab your tongs and dish up some meat.  Add a spoonful of the braising reduction and commence a moment of silence.  Oh, sweet merciful goodness.  

Oh, and if you have leftovers, this would make amazing short ribs tacos.  I wish I had thought of that sooner! 

Happy Sunday!