Braised Short Ribs

This recipe is from the show The Sandwich King on Food Network.  I never thought about cooking short ribs, honestly I'm not sure I even knew they existed.  The Sandwich King made it look effortless and easy, and overall it was.  It was a perfect excuse to use my new casserole dish I got last week, and it was fun trying something new.  I'm not a huge pot roast or stew kind of person, but Blake is and I knew he'd like this recipe.  I had to adapt the recipe a bit because of not having an item or two, but it still turned out great.  You can find the recipe below or check out the link above. 


INGREDIENTS:
1-2 lbs. bone in Beef Short Ribs
1 Tbs. Vegetable Oil 
1 Onion - Roughly chopped
3 Carrots - Roughly chopped
2 Garlic Cloves - Roughly chopped
2 Tbs. Tomato Paste
Dry Red Wine
2 Sprigs of thyme (use about 2 tsp. dry herbs if you don't have fresh)
1 Bay Leaf

1.  Begin by pre-heating your oven to 300 degrees.  In your dutch oven or casserole dish, heat up the tablespoon of oil.  Brown the short ribs on all sides (about 4 min each side).  Once browned, remove from the casserole dish and set aside.  Add in the onions, carrots, and garlic and cook until they begin turning golden brown.

2.  Once the vegetables begin to soften and brown, add in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add in about 2 cups wine, thyme, and the bay leaf and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the short ribs back in and fill with more wine if needed.  You want the ribs to be mostly covered but not completely.

3.  Put the lid on and place in the oven for 2 - 2.5 hours.  Half way through, flip the short ribs so both sides get simmered in the wine mixture.  The short ribs are done when they are fork tender.

4.  Remove the short ribs and strain the contents of the pot.  Simmer the sauce until it has reduced by half. You may want to skim off any extra fat before simmering.

This is a great Sunday afternoon recipe.  Once you put it in the oven you can forget about it, sit back, and watch some sports.  I served it with risotto, but it'd also be good with mashed potatoes.