Braised Beef Short Ribs

This dish makes an excellent Sunday night dinner. There is a little bit of prep to do before you can get it in the crock pot, but it’s well worth it. I did the prep before I left for church, and then it cooks for about 6 hours. Then you just need to finish the sauce and it’s ready to serve. I paired the short ribs with mashed potatoes mixed with a little chive and onion cream cheese. SUPER good, and the sauce makes a fantastic gravy for the potatoes.
*If you can’t find beef short ribs in the store(which can get a bit pricey), country style will work also.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. Beef Short Ribs
• Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3/4 c. Flour
• 2 T. Olive Oil
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced(small)
• 2 Carrots, peeled and diced(small)
• 2 Celery stalks, diced(small)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T. Tomato Paste
• 3 c. Red wine(Cabernet sauvignon or Merlot work great)
• 2 c. Beef Stock
• 1 Fresh Rosemary Sprig

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour. In a large saute pan, heat the oil. Brown the ribs on all sides and transfer to the base of a slow cooker. Top the beef with the rosemary sprig.

Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pan and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more. Add one cup of the wine and stir until all browned bits are removed from the pan. Cook until the wine is reduced by 3/4. Add the remaining wine and beef stock. Bring to a simmer. Pour the liquid and vegetables over the beef and rosemary. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours(or 4 on high).

When the ribs are tender, remove them from the slow cooker and keep warm on a plate in the oven. Discard the rosemary stem. Allow the liquid and vegetables to cool for a few minutes before pureeing. Transfer equal amounts of liquid and vegetables to a blender and puree for 30-45 seconds. The puree should be perfectly smooth. If not, pass the sauce through a sieve before transferring to a saucepan. Once the sauce is completely pureed, pour into a saucepan and heat to simmering. Let simmer for at least 10 minutes, or until the sauce reaches the thickness you would like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the short ribs and serve.

Serves 4-6.