To develop a recipe for fork-tender short ribs in a silky, grease-free sauce that would cook in just a few hours, we chose boneless ribs, which are significantly less fatty than ribs with bones. We missed the body
that the bones’ connective tissue contributed, so we added some gelatin to the sauce for suppleness. To ramp up the richness of our relatively quick recipe, we reduced wine with some browned aromatics before using it to cook the meat. Make sure that the ribs are at least 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. If boneless ribs are unavailable, substitute 7 pounds of bone-in beef short ribs, at least 4 inches long with 1 inch of meat above the bone, and remove the bones yourself. We recommend a bold red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Côtes du Rhône. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes. Use a Dutch oven that holds 7 quarts or more for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3½ pounds boneless short ribs, trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large onions, sliced thin (about 4 cups)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 cups red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup cold water
- ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef.
- Add onions to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. (If onions begin to darken too quickly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to pot.) Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until bottom of pan is well browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits. Increase heat to medium high and simmer until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in broth, carrots, thyme, and bay leaf. Add browned beef and any accumulated juices and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until fork slips easily in and out of meat, 2 to 2½ hours, turning meat over several times during cooking.
- Place water in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top; let stand at least 5 minutes. Transfer meat and carrots to platter and tent with foil. Pour braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator and let settle for 5 minutes. Return defatted juices to now-empty Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in gelatin mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over meat and serve.
