Braised Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients

• 12  beef short ribs bone-in
• 6 servings salt and pepper freshly ground
• 0.3 cup olive oil extra virgin 
• 1  onion yellow peeled chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1  carrots peeled chopped
• 750 ml cooking wine dry red good (we used a zinfandel)
• 6 cups veal stock (can substitute beef stock)

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven
• aluminum foil

Directions

1. Brown the ribs: Preheat oven to 350°F. Season ribs to taste with the salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed ovenproof pan over high heat.
3. Add ribs and brown on all sides. Work in batches if you need to so that the ribs don't get crowded (this will help with browning).
4. Transfer ribs to a plate.
5. Pour off the excess fat (do not put down the drain or you will clog your sink!).
6. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pan and sauté, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
7. Remove the vegetables from the pan, set aside.
8. Add the wine to the pan, deglazing the pan, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by three-quarters until thick and slightly syrupy, about 15 minutes on high heat.
9. Braise ribs in oven: Return the ribs to the pan, add the veal stock and enough water to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, cover with foil, and place in the oven. Braise, cooking in the oven, until the meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
10. During the last 1/2 hour of cooking, add back in the vegetables.
11. Chill overnight: Allow the ribs to cool in the liquid, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
12. Remove excess fat: The next day, remove the excess fat that has solidified at the top from the overnight chilling.
13. Place the pan with the ribs and cooking liquid over medium heat, uncovered. Cook until the liquid has reduced by three-quarters, about 1 hour. Continue to cook, spooning the sauce over the ribs, until the sauce is thick and ribs are glazed. Take care not to burn the glaze; move the ribs around in the pan to keep them from burning.
14. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice.