Daniel Boulud's Braised Short Ribs Recipe

Tender, succulent fall-off-the-bones short ribs braised in red wine, beef broth and a rustic melange of chunky vegetables and herbs. This dish is a hearty and warm welcome from the driving snow and frigid temperatures outside.

Short ribs from Dickson's Farm

To extract the most flavor from this cut of meat, make sure to brown the ribs prior to braising in the red wine broth, all of those wonderful brown bits go a long way in creating depth in the sauce. This recipe calls for a whopping 3 bottles of wine. I used three pinot noirs from Burgundy, however any dry red will do. The secret to creating a rich, concentrated, flavorful sauce is to diligently skim the fat and impurities during the reduction step. This is a recipe that requires cooking a day ahead of time, but is well the investment in time. 

Chef Daniel Boulud recommends serving these meaty succulent ribs with a heavenly pairing of celery root puree. If you are short on time, pasta, rice or couscous will do. 

Daniel Boulud's Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine
From Epicurious
Ingredients

• 3 bottles dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 short ribs, trimmed of excess fat
• Salt and crushed black peppercorns
• Flour, for dredging
• 8 large shallots, peeled, trimmed, split, rinsed and dried
• 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 2 ribs of celery, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 medium-sized leek (white and light-green parts), coarsely chopped, washed and dried
• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves and 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 quarts unsalted beef broth
• Freshly ground white pepper

Method

1. Pour the wine into a large saucepan set over medium heat. When the wine is hot, carefully set it aflame. Let the flames die out, then increase the heat so that the wine boils; allow it to boil until it cooks down by half. Remove from the heat.
2. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F.
3. Warm the oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and the crushed pepper. Dust half of the ribs with about 1 tablespoon flour. Then, when the oil is hot, slip the ribs into the pot and sear 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well-browned. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Repeat with remaining ribs. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot, lower the heat under the pot to medium and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the wine, ribs and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and place in the oven to braise for 2 1/2 hours or until the ribs are very tender. Every 30 minutes, skim and discard fat from the surface. (It's best to make the recipe to this point, cool and chill the ribs and broth in the pan overnight; scrape off the fat the next day. Rewarm before continuing.)
5. Carefully transfer the meat to a platter; keep warm. Boil the pan liquid until it has reduced to 1 quart. Season with salt and white pepper and pass through a fine strainer; discard the solids. (The ribs and sauce can be combined and kept covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat gently, basting frequently, on top of the stove or in a 350°F oven.)
6. To serve, spoon the celery root puree into the center of 8 plates and top each with a short rib.

Serves 8