DECEMBER 1, 2016 // 19
Braised Short Ribs: Learn to love a long,
slow braise to make tough meat awesome
By SARA MOULTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
How do you transform a
tough, less expensive cut of
meat into something tender
and delicious? You braise it!
Braising is a wonderful
and basic cooking tech-
nique that uses a slow,
wet heat in a covered pot.
It’s great for cuts such as
chuck, flank, brisket, rump
and round. In fact, cooked
properly, these cuts can be
more delicious than more
tender cuts. I’m using short
ribs in this recipe, but the
method can be used to
wonderful effect on any
other tough cut of meat.
Short ribs can be butch-
ered three ways: English,
flanken or boneless. In
English style, the ribs are
cut parallel to the bone,
with one bone per cut. In
flanken style — which
originated with the Jews
of Eastern Europe — the
ribs are cut across the bone.
With English style, you get
relatively uniform chunks
of beef. With flanken style,
you get a sauce with more
body and flavor because the
cut bones enrich it.
You also can get bone-
less, which we used in this
recipe. They cook a little
faster than ribs with bones,
and you get more meat for
your money (you’re not
paying for the bone weight).
We start by browning
the ribs in a pan. During
browning, the meat will
give off juices that form
tasty little brown bits on the
bottom of the pan. Recon-
stituted with wine once the
meat has finished browning,
these bits end up enriching
the sauce. I also brown the
vegetables, which amps up
their natural sweetness.
This recipe requires two
bottles of beer, though you
also could use a full bottle
of red wine. But whether
beer or wine, please choose
bottles for which you feel
some real affection. It
doesn’t have to be expen-
sive, but it also shouldn’t
be the dollar special. You
won’t end up tasting the
beer or wine, but you will
be astonished by and grate-
ful for the soulful taste of
the ribs, which will boast
an acidity and depth they’d
otherwise lack.
Combine the browned
meat, vegetables, beer and
chicken broth in a Dutch
oven, covered tightly. I
place a piece of kitchen
parchment right on top of
the meat to make sure no
liquid escapes. Then it is
cooked low and slow. You’ll
know you’re done when the
tip of a knife slides into the
meat with no resistance. If
you became antsy and try
to speed up the process by
boiling the meat, you’ll end
up with hockey pucks for
dinner.
Assuming you have the
time, try to prepare this dish
a day ahead, then allow it to
cool off and chill overnight.
It also freezes beautifully.
Not only will the ribs taste
better the next day, but by
then the fat will have solid-
ified at the top of the pan,
allowing you to scoop it
off with ease. Then you can
warm up the contents and
proceed with the recipe.
Sara Moulton is host of
public television’s “Sara’s
Weeknight Meals.” She was
executive chef at Gourmet
magazine for nearly 25 years
and spent a decade hosting
several Food Network shows,
including “Cooking Live.” Her
latest cookbook is “Home
Cooking 101.”
BEER BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS
If you use bone-in short ribs, check the meat after 3
hours of braising. They likely will need an extra hour of
braising.
Start to finish: 4 hours (1 hour active)
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 pounds boneless beef short ribs
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 bay leaf
Two 12-ounce bottles beer
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions:
Heat the oven to 325 F.
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat
1 tablespoon of the oil. Use paper towels to pat
the ribs dry, then season them on all sides with
salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium, add
a quarter of the ribs to the pot and brown on all
sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a large
platter or bowl. Repeat with the remaining oil and
short ribs, transferring them to the platter or bowl
when finished.
Return the pot to the heat and add the onions and
the carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden
brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the toma-
to paste, thyme and bay leaf, then saute for 2 minutes.
Transfer the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the
ribs. Return the pot to the heat and add the beer. Bring
to a boil and simmer until the beer is reduced by about
three-quarters.
When the beer is reduced, add the chicken broth
and bring to a boil. Return the meat and vegetables to
the pot and cover with a piece of kitchen parchment.
Put the lid on the pot and set in the oven on the lower
shelf and cook until the meat is very tender, 4 to 5
hours.
Use tongs to transfer the ribs to a platter. Let them
stand until cool enough to be handled.
Meanwhile, strain liquid in the pan into a bowl.
Discard the solids and return the liquid to the pot. Let
AP PHOTO/MATTHEW MEAD, FILE
Braising is a wonderful and basic cooking technique that
uses a slow, wet heat in a covered pot. It’s great for cuts
such as chuck, flank, brisket, rump and round.
stand for several minutes, then skim off any fat that
floats to the surface (or use a fat separator).
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and water.
Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the
cooking liquid to a boil. Add half of the flour mixture
in a steady stream, whisking. Bring the sauce to a boil,
check the consistency and if you would like it thicker,
whisk in more of the flour-water mixture. Simmer for 8
minutes. Whisk in the mustard and lemon juice, then
season with salt and pepper.
Add the meat to the pot along with any juices from
the platter. Cook gently, just until heated through. To
serve, arrange some rib meat on each plate and spoon
some of the sauce over each portion.
Nutrition information per serving: 620 calories; 290 cal-
ories from fat (47 percent of total calories); 32 g fat (13 g
saturated; 0 g trans fats); 170 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohy-
drate; 2 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 57 g protein; 820 mg sodium.