BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Years ago when The Pioneer Woman came out with her first cookbook my good friend Jennifer and I went to her book signing in Atlanta. We had to stand in line for a couple of hours, but we got to meet Ree, Betsy and Hyacinth and get our cookbooks signed by them. It was such a special experience because I had been following her blog for a couple of years and had learned so much about cooking by doing so. I share this with you not only because it is a fun memory, but especially because The Pioneer Woman’s blog taught me all about short ribs!If you’ve never had short ribs before, I’ll tell you that they fall more into the “special occa-sion” category for me. They aren’t the most economical cut of beef, but they sure are tasty and make for a lovely dinner when you’re feel-ing a little extra.The fresh herbs and dry red wine really add to the richness of flavor. The alcohol in the wine cooks off and you are left with just a nice, flavor-ful liquid. Please don’t skip the fresh herbs, but if you are on the fence about cooking with wine, you can certainly replace it with 2 extra cups of beef broth. I would just suggest adding some beef base and extra Worcestershire to create that lovely flavor depth.Short ribs also produce a good bit of fat while cooking. You can skim it off at the end or if you’re planning ahead, do what I do. After cook-ing, put the entire Dutch oven in the fridge. As it cools, all of the fat will solidify at the top mak-ing it easy to remove. Then, simply reheat the short ribs when ready to serve. I like to serve them on top of mashed potatoes with plenty of the savory juice and veggies. This is my version of braised short ribs, but it was adapted greatly from The Pioneer Woman. Thanks, Ree!

Ingredients

• 8 whole beef short ribs

• Seasoned salt

• Ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2-4 Tbsp Avocado oil

• 1 whole medium onion, diced

• 3 whole carrots, diced

• 3 stalks of celery, diced

• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 cups dry red wine

• 2 cups beef broth (enough to almost cover ribs)

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 2 sprigs fresh sageDirections1

Directions

1. Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside

.2. In a large dutch oven add avocado oil and set over high heat. Brown ribs on all sides until nicely seared. Remove ribs and set aside on a plate. Turn heat to medium.

3. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and worcestershire to pan and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.

5. Add broth, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add thyme, rosemary and sage sprigs (whole) to the liquid.

6. Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone.

7. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (Can also refrigerate mixture, then remove solid fat from the top.)

8. Serve 2 ribs on bed of creamy mashed potatoes, spooning a little juice and veggies over the top.

This recipe serves 4.