Braised Beef Short Ribs for Cold Weather

(Crane Beach - November 2023)

As the weather grows colder in the northern hemisphere, many people shift their diets to accommodate the chill. Articles pop up all over about the different soups and stews that suit the weather. Some people are excited for Broccoli Cheddar or French Onion, and they dedicate their meal prep days to making something that's easy to reheat the rest of the week.

I've never been a huge soup or stew person. However, over the last few years, I've started to get excited about the cold weather because I have begun to explore the seasonality of foods. I've grown interested in making heartier meals in winter that focus around more seasonally available foods.

My first hearty food love has always been gulaš, a Central European beef dish that is made in a variety of ways across several countries. In the Czech Republic, it is made more like a stew and includes a more watery sauce with carrots and potatoes. In Serbia, where my mom's family is from, it is more like a very thick stew or meat sauce that we serve over either pasta or mashed potatoes. Additionally, if you know anything about Serbian people, you would not be surprised to know that we usually also have bread on the side. We're a two carb type of people.

(Gulaš in Canberra - October 2022)

I learned how to make gulaš from my mom when I was in undergrad and it has become a staple that I cook whenever it is cold where I am. I made it for my friends in Canberra as part of a process for a paper that I wrote, and I have made it for friends living in the Boston area.

However, I am ever interested in expanding my cooking repertoire, which is what has led me to exploring cooking beef short ribs. This is a dish that I always enjoy ordering in restaurants as a warm, fulfilling meal that is a balance of tender meat and soft vegetables. It utilizes many ingredients that are in season during fall and winter, as well as satisfies that need for a warm meal on a cold night.

I tested this dish a couple of times, in order to get a good feeling for the ingredients and cooking style. As my cooking has evolved over the years, I have leaned heavily into the feeling method of cooking. This means that rarely, if ever, do I truly follow a recipe. I often conduct research for a dish by looking at 3 or 4 different recipes, studying the methods used to make the dish, then picking and pulling what I like from each recipe to create the dish.

Ultimately, I followed this same model for the beef short ribs that I created. I studied the methods and then measured everything with my heart. That being said, I have tried my best to include a recipe at the bottom of this post. This means that you can be quite forgiving when using it to replicate my results. The key notes are: a long cook time for meat that really falls off the bone, and a lot of wine for flavor (and the cook).

(Braised Beef Short Ribs - November 2023)

I largely based this recipe on my own preferences, hence why celery is missing. However if you're keen on it, it should be fine to add or trade out the parsnips for. 

I would recommend serving it over mashed potatoes (with garlic) to really bring the dish together. Alternatively, serving over a parsnip or sweet potato mash could bring additional flavor to the dish.

As these short ribs need a minimum of three hours to cook to get to the point of falling apart, it's good to start cooking earlier in the day. The longer you can last once it starts smelling enticing, the better the short ribs end up. Due to this, it's best for a weekend dinner or when you aren't expecting to get home from work later than 6pm.

Ultimately, while this dish can be a splurge because of the price of short ribs, it's a great one to have in the rotation. It tastes great the first time and holds up well consistency wise as leftovers. Eating it feels just as cozy as staying in while it's snowing on a candlelit evening. Coincidentally, that would be a perfect setting to enjoy braised short ribs. 

(Crane Beach - November 2023)

If you are an avid lover of winter beach walks followed by a warm meal or holing up at home once the temperature drops, try experimenting with these braised short ribs. The way it highlights and incorporates root vegetables, while requiring relatively minimal active cooking time will make it a favorite.

Make sure to stay warm, and stay tuned for another dish that warms you up while blending together soft, melt in your mouth textures with crunchy ones.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients

• About 2.5 - 3 lbs of Beef Short Ribs (or Chuck Ribs)
• Neutral Oil (for searing)
• 3 Sweet Onions
• Several Carrots (4-5)
• Parsnips (1-2 depending on size)
• Garlic (1 head)
• 1/2 Can of Tomato Paste
• 32 ozs of Beef Stock (Vegetable Stock or Chicken Stock works too!)
• 1 Bottle of Dry Red Wine
• Salt
• Pepper
• Worcestershire Sauce (A Splash)
• Flour
• Rosemary (a few sprigs - I used fresh)
• Oregano (2 dashes)
• Thyme (2 dashes)
• 1 Bay Leaf

Instructions

1. Prep ingredients. Chop onions, carrots, and parsnips into bite size pieces. Peel garlic and leave whole. Clean short ribs, then season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil to medium-high heat in the bottom of a large stock pot. Once hot, add beef short ribs in batches to sear, rotating to ensure a crust on all sides. Set aside browned ribs.

3. Add onions, carrots, and parsnip to the pot and cook until the onions become soft. Make sure to stir occasionally and to try to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

4. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables (this will help form a roux/thicken the liquid later), then add in tomato paste. Stir to semi-coat the vegetables, but be careful of the flour causing things to stick to the bottom of the pot.

5. Add the short ribs back to the pot, then add the whole bottle of red wine and the stock. Make sure to do your best to unstick anything on the bottom of the pot, the wine should help.

6. Toss in herbs (rosemary sprigs, oregano, bay leaf, and thyme), Worcestershire sauce and all of the peeled cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle boil. Cover slightly with a lid and then leave for as long as you can (3 hours at least).

7. When you test the short ribs with a fork and they're falling apart, or you cannot see the bone because the meat has fallen off, make the mashed potatoes or your accompaniment of choice.

8. Once you are done making mashed potatoes, remove as much liquid as you can from the short ribs and place in a sauce pan to reduce into a sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

9. Finally, plate her up. Place the short ribs and veggies over mashed potatoes and then top with the reduced sauce.