Braised Short Ribs with Savory Sauce are a hearty cold weather meal with fork tender beef and a delicious beef and tomato sauce spiked with tons of flavor!
Prep Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Cook Time3 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Beef, pot roast
Servings: 6
Author: adapted from StarTribune Taste section
Ingredients
4lbsbone-less beef short ribscut into 2" lengths (can use boneless, but I recommend increasing the weight to 5-6 lbs, depending on how much meat is on each rib.)
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepperfor seasoning ribs before browning
5tbsp.olive oil
8clovesminced garlic
1 1/2c.canned plum tomatoescut into large chunks, with their juices (I used a 14.5 oz. can)
2large carrots peeled and cut into thin coins
2large yellow onionsuse sweet if available coarsely chopped (about 3 c.)
1/2.c.chopped parsley
3/4c.red wine vinegar
3tbsp.tomato paste
2tbsp.light brown sugar
2tsp.kosher salt
1tsp.freshly ground black pepper
1/4tspcayenne pepper
3-6c.low-sodium beef brothwill depend on size and depth of your pot
Instructions
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid (choose one that will be large enough to accommodate all of the ribs, veggies and liquid.) Once the oil is very hot, brown 3-4 ribs at a time on each of the meaty sides (about 3-4 minutes per side - don't rush this process, it's key to the end result.)
Remove browned ribs, setting them aside and finish the browning process. Once the browning is finished, discard the oil in the bottom of the pot and turn off burner.
Return half of the ribs to to the pot and sprinkle half of the garlic over the meat. Then layer with half of the tomatoes with their juices, carrots, onions and parsley. Repeat with another layer of meat, veggies and parsley.
Stir together vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper and cayenne pepper in a liquid measuring cup. Pour over meat and vegetables and then add enough broth to cover everything. Cover and bake for 3 hours.
Remove meat from pan, and if using bone-in ribs, discard bones from broth mixture and any still left attached to the ribs. Skim fat from broth (note - you can do this while the mixture is still warm, or you can refrigerate the liquid/veggie mixture for several hours or overnight and skim it off after it congeals. If you use this method, cover beef and refrigerate as well.)
After skimming fat, use an immersion hand blender (or a food processor) to blend liquid/veggie mixture into a sauce consistency. I recommend leaving some chunks of smaller veggies which results in a nice hearty sauce.
If you refrigerated your beef and liquid/veggie mixture, place sauce and beef in a covered pot and rewarm in 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes. Serve short ribs over mashed potatoes with a generous ladle of sauce and a sprinkle of parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
A combined adaptation from StarTribune Taste section Braised Short Ribs of Beef and from AGardenForTheHouse by Kevin Lee Jacobs (Make-Ahead) Braised Short Ribs.