There are a million different ways to do a beef short rib braise. This is my go-to for a (somewhat) quick weeknight dinner that’s pretty good without needing a ton of effort.
This recipe has evolved over the years as I’ve made it countless times, with a little tweak every time. My most recent “innovation” — stolen from a source now lost to memory — is skipping the messy and time-consuming sear to brown the beef before this goes in the oven. By putting the pot in the oven uncovered, the surface of the beef plus the heat does a good enough job imparting flavor.
For the wine, I like something clean and dry. A pinot noir — the grape that dominates Burgundy wines — works really well. As a more budget-friendly option, I like a grenache, or a Côtes du Rhône-style blend. This isn’t the time for something oak-y and extremely tannic.
In an ideal world, this is better if you top up the braising liquid with really good beef stock. In my kitchen, I almost never have that kicking around. Water is just fine. Aside from roasted beef bones, the braising liquid basically has all the ingredients you’d use to make a good beef stock from scratch.
This makes enough to feed about four people. Generally I budget about 250 g of boneless short ribs per person, for scaling this up or down.
While I won’t stop you from eating the braising vegetables, they’re really there to flavor the braising liquid. By the time the braise is done, they’re spent and pretty flavorless.
I’d serve this with something like my whole roast cauliflower and polenta.
Ingredients
- 30 g lardons (or unsmoked pancetta, cut into small pieces)
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 kg boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into roughly 5 cm (2") pieces
- 500 g dry red wine
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 stalks parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- Salt
- Beef stock (optional)
- 50 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (optional)
Method
In a cocotte or Dutch oven, add the lardons. Place the pot over medium heat and render out the fat from the lardons.
Then add the onion, celery, and carrots, and cook them until they’re softened and the onions are translucent, about 10-20 minutes.
Preheat an oven to 200 °C (400 °F) with fan (convection) if available.
Add the beef, wine, herbs, and star anise with a generous pinch of salt. Add enough beef stock or water to almost cover the short ribs. Bring the braise to a boil.
Then transfer the pot, uncovered, to the preheated oven. After 30 minutes, drop the temperature to 160 °C (325 °F). Cook the beef until it’s fork tender, about another 90 minutes to 2.5 hours. If the pot starts to run dry in the oven, top it up with additional beef stock or water.
When the beef is done, remove the pot from the oven. Then transfer the short ribs to a plate and tent them with foil to rest.
Strain out the aromatics and herbs from the braising liquid, and transfer the braising liquid back to the pot. Over high heat, reduce the liquid to make a sauce. Optionally, add butter to give the sauce additional gloss and body. Season the sauce to taste.