Red Wine Braised Shortribs

There is nothing like rainy days to bring out the urge to fire on the oven. There is something very comforting about filling your home with the aromas of slow-cooked goodness while you sit back read a book and enjoy a glass of wine. These braised short ribs fit the bill for this Rain City on this particular day.

Short ribs are a relatively inexpensive cut of meat, yet when prepared right, they melt in your mouth and offer a richness to only to be rivalled by their more expensive counterparts. This weekend my Husband and I ventured over to Windsor Meats, a local Vancouver butcher shop that both of has have been dying to explore after hearing rave reviews from friends and colleagues. Windsor Meats has actually been part of the Vancouver, Main St. corridor since 1946; with friendly Butchers, and great quality meat, it’s no surprise that they have been around for almost seven decades. Fighting through the drool that was no doubt accumulating on our lower lips, we grabbed 3 very large beef short ribs – a nice balance of meat and fat, however we realized after eating them that the best bites were ones where the meat was well marbled. Next-time we’ll seek out these marbled gems specifically!

As with all of our meals it seems, short ribs can’t be rushed! The trick is to reduce the temperature low enough to break down all of meat’s fat and connective tissue, leaving the meat moist and sweet, but this takes time. You can opt to cook short ribs in a slow cooker, however we opted to cook ours in the oven which meant that we couldn’t venture too far from the house for the next two and a half hours while our meat cooked. On this rainy day, instead of a book I challenged my Husband to a game of chess. A game of patience and strategy, I loved playing as when I was younger and recently I have been attempting to teach my Husband how to play. Although he’s catching on, and sometimes gives me a run for my money, I beat him twice in a row… lesson complete.

Braised short ribs are a real treat, and the creamy polenta  – red wine sauce makes this a truly flavourful feast providing the comfort that was very much desired!

For the first time we drink a ‘new world’ red wine with our meal and bought an American wine: Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Black Label Claret Cabernet-Sauvignon.  Francis Ford Coppola, sounds familiar right? The Godfather movies and Apocalypse Now may come to mind; they’re classics. Well in the fashion of Hollywood extravagance, the movie mogul also has a vineyard, and a decent one at that! It’s true. The wine is best when decanted to let it open up a bit and after you will be rewarded with sweet black cherries, a touch of white pepper, and subtle notes of cocoa and oak. These wonderfully complimentary flavours were equally complimentary to the earthy flavours of the fall-off-the-bone delicious short ribs.

Drinking wine is just a part of life, like eating food. – Francis Ford Coppola

{Beef Short Ribs}

2-3 pounds grass-fed beef short ribs (on bones)
Salt and Pepper
olive oil
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1/2 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
15 cherry tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife
1 bay leaf
4-5 sprigs of thyme
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock or chicken

Preheat oven to 300F.

Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef on all sides; place browned ribs in a bowl.

Pour off “used” oil.  Add ~1 tablespoon of olive oil to pan and return to medium-high heat.  Add onions, tomatoes and carrots.  Cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, bay leaf, and thyme  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add wine and stock. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then return the ribs and any accumulated liquids to the pot.

Cover and place in oven to braise for around 2.5 hours or until the ribs are very tender. Check on them occasionally to ladle off excess fat and make sure the liquid doesn’t get too low.

When the ribs are done, carefully transfer the meat to a platter. Place the Dutch Oven containing the cooking liquids on the stovetop and reduce the liquid down, until it forms a sauce like consistency.

{Polenta}:

4 tsp salt
0.5lb prepared polenta, cubed
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese (or parmesan)
1 tbsp unsalted butter

In a pot cook the salt and polenta in 2 cups of water, stirring continuously for 5-6 minutes (caution! the mixture may bubble and spit). Once the desired consistency is achieved stir in the cheeses and butter. Keep warm until you are ready to plate.