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Cabernet-Braised Short Ribs

By: Jeff Solberg, excerpted from The Perfect Plate
Cabernet-Braised Short Ribs

The smell of meat slowly braising in the oven is one of my favorite things. This is a great dish to celebrate a special occasion, such as a birthday, an anniversary or surviving a Monday.

Yields4 Servings

Ingredients

  • Short Ribs
  • 4 meaty short ribs, about 8 oz (225 g) each
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
  • 8 sprigs thyme
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) canola oil
  • 1 head garlic, halved horizontally
  • 1/4 cup cup (½ stick/57 g) unsalted butter
  • 2 slice uncooked bacon
  • 18 clove garlic, peeled
  • 6 shallots, peeled and diced
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped roughly
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/3 cup (90 g) tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup (42 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 (750-ml) bottle good-quality cabernet
  • 4 cup (946 ml) beef stock
  • 2 tablespoon (30 ml) store-bought veal demi-glace

  • 24k Pickled Carrots
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) filtered water
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon (13 g) cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 2 clove garlic, peeled
  • 8 (½" [1.3-cm]) micro carrots, stem on (available online from specialty stores)
  • 8 edible 24k gold leaf sheets (optional; available online from specialty stores)

  • Suggested Sides
  • Miso Potato Puree
  • Crispy Brussels Sprouts (omit the spicy maple mustard sauce)

  • Garnish
  • Petite mustard green frill
  • Mustard flowers

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the ribs:

  1. Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper, then refrigerate, covered, overnight. Remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Tie the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves together with kitchen twine to create a bouquet garni.

  2. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

  3. In an ovenproof, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil just starts to smoke, add the ribs and brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add the garlic halves, cut side down, and butter, and then cook, basting the ribs, until the butter browns. Transfer the ribs to a plate, add the bouquet garni and bacon to the pot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bacon starts to brown. Add the 18 garlic cloves, shallots, carrots and peppercorns, and cook until the vegetables brown slightly, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until it turns dark red, about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced by one-third. Add the beef stock and demi-glace, and bring to a simmer.

  4. Return the ribs to the pot and bring to a simmer once again. Transfer to the oven and roast for 1 hour. Then, lower the oven temperature to 225°F (110°C) and roast for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool before removing the ribs and straining the sauce. Place the ribs in a baking dish that can hold them and the braising liquid, and refrigerate, covered, overnight. Before serving, reheat the ribs, covered with aluminum foil, in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes, or until heated through.

Make the carrots:

In a small saucepan, combine all the pickled carrots ingredients, except the carrots and gold leaf (if using). Bring to a boil, stirring, until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Place the micro carrots in a heatproof container with a lid. Pour the pickling liquid over them and allow to sit until fully cooled. The carrots can be refrigerated at this point. Right before serving, remove the carrots from the pickling liquid and place on a paper towel to dry. Holding each carrot by its stem, carefully roll 1 edible gold leaf sheet around each carrot.

Time to plate like a pro:

On four large white dinner plates, place some of the pureed potatoes in the center of each plate, then use the back of the spoon to spread them out into a thin disk. Next, top with some of the roasted Brussels sprouts. Carefully place 1 short rib on top of the Brussels sprouts and, using a spoon, carefully drizzle some of the braising liquid over each rib and around the plate. Top with the gold- wrapped carrots and mustard frill and, using tweezers, place a few mustard flowers around the plate.

Credit

Reprinted with permission from The Perfect Plate by Jeff Solberg. Page Street Publishing Co. 2024. Photo credit: Jeff Solberg.

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