Riverside Braised Short Ribs

During one of my numerous trips to Las Vegas, all of course due to very important, high-level business-related trade shows – World of Concrete, International Roofing Expo, Home Building Expo, International Gutter & Downspout Extravaganza, National Conference on Cotter Pin Safety, etc. – I’d had just about one too many bone-in rib eyes in a row, yet, found myself in a fabulous steakhouse; Jean-George Jagermeister’s PRIME, located in the beautiful Bellagio Casino. I told the snooty waiter that I just couldn’t handle another beautifully marbled, succulent, medium rare bone-in Kobe rib eye, having had them the previous five nights at other high-end Vegas meat emporiums. Obviously annoyed with my lack of degustatory gusto, he icily suggested that I might enjoy something beefy, yet quite a bit less expensive, his nose getting skinny as he lifted his chin skyward – braised short ribs. This encounter happened a few years back, say 10 years ago, when beef short ribs weren’t on most menus; in fact, they would have been considered a throw-away cut of meat, something you’d never imagine finding on the menu of a pricy restaurant, much like skirt steak, flank steak and brisket, which now, thanks to celebrity chefs like Jean-George Veganbanger, are no longer throwaways, but ‘hot’ cuts of meat. (Or were last week at the time of this writing; perhaps this week, they too are now passé.)

Anyway, I bit, as the description of the fatty beef that would fall off the bone like a Valentine’s Day chemise and melt in your mouth like a hollandaise-flavored cough drop was simply too much to resist; couple that with a White Truffle Gruyere potato gratin and a hearty Barolo, and we could just begin to forget about the travails of suffering through a night without a cut of béarnaise-drenched Japanese beef.

Needless to say, the meal was sublime – the short ribs presented in a small copper pot, with the cooking vegetables and braising liquid as accompaniment. The flavor was so round, so rich; I had to ingratiate myself upon the snooty waiter and beg as to what gave this beef it’s smoky, salty, sweet flavor. I had to have that damn recipe!

The waiter was forthcoming enough with the goods just to the point of teasing me; yes, yes I know, brown the ribs, braise them with carrots, celery and onions in some stock and red wine, and….”I’m afraid I can’t tell you what the special ingredients are that give them their sweet, salty finish”; seemingly gleeful that he had this little power thing going with me.

So I had to wing it and guess at what else might be included in the recipe to give them their unique, never before experienced flavor. I’m pretty sure I eventually hit the mark, as this recipe, at least for me, recreates the splendor of the original dish at PRIME. When we first featured these short ribs on a new fall menu, winding down our first year in operation, they were a huge hit – we couldn’t make enough of them as almost every diner ordered them those first few weekends in October. We actually had guests dine with us on Friday, order the short ribs, and return the next evening for a second go; should have charged more for them.

This dish takes some time to make, as it cooks low and slow; so you probably don’t want to plan on throwing it together some Tuesday evening after work. Also, you can use the method and ingredients in this recipe on chuck roast with equally great results.

Serves 4
3-4 pounds beef short ribs – bone intact
Salt & Pepper
1-2 cups flour
½ cup vegetable oil
1 - Large yellow onion, chopped
3 – Carrots, peeled and chopped
3 – Celery stalks, chopped
1 – Cup rich beef stock which you’ve made yourself (Do they even sell rich beef stock?)
1 – Cup red wine (Shiraz works nicely)
2/3 - cup Soy Sauce (No low sodium stuff, you putz!)
2/3 - cup dark molasses (Steen’s, if you’re lucky enough to live where they sell it)
2 – Bay leaves
12 – Sprigs fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 260F

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil to near smoking, and brown the short ribs that you’ve salted, peppered and dredged in the flour. Set them aside. In the same oil, sauté the vegetables until they just begin to take on some char. Remove and set aside. Put the ribs back in the Dutch oven, arranged so there is a little space between them; space which you will fill with the sautéed vegetables. Now pour your liquids in, slip in the bay leaves and evenly distribute the thyme over the top of dish. The liquid will come close to drowning the ribs, with maybe ½” – ¾” of the meat peeking over the brim of the liquid.

Put the lid on the pot, slide it in the oven and leave it be for 4 hours. No need to open it and jack with it to see if it’s done. It’ll probably be done in 3 ½ hours, and at that low temperature, it’ll still be okay if you get sloshed on the rest of the Shiraz and forget to take it out until it’s cooked for five hours. Keeping the damn lid on keeps all the damn moisture in the pot; and moisture is what makes that meat tender, silky and falling off the bone delicious – so keep the damn lid on!

Serve over a bed of creamy polenta, into which you’ve slipped some butter and a good Parmigiano Reggiano, and ladle just a little of the braising liquid over the meat and polenta.

Mmmmmmm…welcome to Flavor Country!