I love me some tender, fatty, and super flavorful braised beef short ribs.  It is one of my favorite hearty comfort foods, especially now that the weather is cooling down.  Short ribs do require extra loving care to reach their maximum juicy potential, but the reward is worth it.  It’s not difficult, it just takes some patience.  Well, I guess patience can be pretty difficult when you are soooo freaking close to tasting that chunk of meaty perfection.

So, what is braising? Isn’t this just a beef stew you ask?  Well, it is pretty similar.  A braise is when you partially submerge meat or vegetables in a cooking liquid, and cook it low and slow.  The long soak in the hot tub is so relaxing, those hard knotted muscles melt into a puddle of wobbly meat goo.  A stew also takes it low and slow, but the meat and vegetables are completely submerged in the cooking liquid.  The meat and vegetables are also usually cut into uniform pieces.

I got about 4 lbs of bone in beef short ribs.  After letting the meat sit at room temperature for about half an hour, I patted them dry and rubbed them with Montreal steak seasoning.

First each side of the meat got seared to get a crusty brown coat, which will taste better than it sounds.  I turned the heat on high, and dropped a nice big spoonful of bacon fat into my trusty 8 qt Kirkland French oven.  After a few minutes, the pot was super hot enough for the meat to go in.  Don’t crowd the bottom, or the meat won’t get a good sear.  Sear in batches if necessary.  Oh yeah, your kitchen will get smoky, so turn on the fan and air the place out unless you want to live in a meat cave for the next couple of days.  I was preparing the vegetables while the meat seared, so I didn’t keep good track of time.  But, each side seared for about 5 minutes.

While the meat was searing, I washed and cut the vegetables.  I happened to have 1 lb of carrots, 2 small zucchini, and an onion.  That mysterious brown pile in the middle were what was left of a bag of assorted dry mushroom pieces.

You can also use other vegetables such as fresh mushrooms, potatoes, celery, parsnips, squash, and tomatoes (ok, technically not a vegetable).

Here is the shallot and half the head of garlic I minced.

After the meat finished searing, I took them out of the pot.  Just use the plate they were on earlier.  One of my goals whenever I cook or bake is to wash as few dishes as possible.  It was so tempting to grab a short rib and have my way with it.  Too bad it was still raw and chewy inside.

I turned the heat down to medium, and tossed the vegetables into the pot for a few minutes until the onions started to turn translucent.  Pour more oil in if necessary.  Also, hit the vegetables with salt and pepper.  We want every layer of this dish to have good flavor.

While the vegetables cooked, I got my herbs ready.  You can use fresh herbs, but I happen to have a lot of dried herbs taking up lots of space in my pantry that I am trying to use up.  I got out 2 bay leaves, a sprig of rosemary, a little pile of thyme, and a little pile of oregano.  I tied them up in a piece of cheesecloth so they would be easier to extract later.  I do reuse my cheesecloth.  I rinse it out with some dish soap, and then throw it into the washer with my towels (no fabric softener).

I scooped the vegetables out of the pot and put them back into their bowl.

What are those questionable looking blobs floating in the pot?!  Remember the pulled pork I made a few days ago?  A quart of beer, beefy, and porky goodness was left, so I saved it.  The collagen in the pork shoulder turned the liquid into meat jello.

If you didn’t happen to make pulled pork, you can also use chicken stock, beef stock, beer, wine, canned tomato, tomato paste, a combo of the above, etc.

Once the liquid boiled, I turned the heat down real real low.  I added the beef and bag o’ herbs, and covered the pot.  I gave the meat some privacy and left it alone for about 2 hours.  I don’t know if it made a big difference, but halfway through, I turned the beef over so both halves had a chance to soak.  You can see the pouch of herbs in the top left corner of the pot.

After the meat had their alone time, the vegetables joined the party.  I covered the lid again and let everyone soak for another hour and a half or so.  You can let it cook for longer or shorter, depends how tender you want your beef.  After you turn off the stove,  resist your primal urges, leave the pot covered, and let the meat rest for 20 minutes.

Your mouth watering meat lollipops are ready for your mouth.  They will taste excellent now, but if you have the willpower to let them sit overnight, they will taste even more awesome once all the flavors get to know each other and make happy.  Oh also, there is a lot of oil floating on top, so skim it off first.  If you do let the dish sit overnight, the oil will solidify for easy removal.

Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
– 4 lbs of bone in beef short ribs
– 1 lb of carrots
– 1 large onion
– 2 zucchini
– handful of dried mushroom pieces
– 1 shallot
– half a head of garlic
– dried herbs: rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaves
– 1 qt of beer and stock
– bacon fat
– steak rub
– salt
– pepper

Directions
– Let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes,  Pat it dry and season with steak rub.  Melt bacon fat in a French oven on high heat.  When the pot is very hot, put the meat in the pot and sear each side for approximately 5 minutes until a brown crust forms.  Take the meat out of the pot.
– Wash and cut the vegetables.  After the meat is done searing, turn the heat down to medium.  Cook the vegetables for a few minutes until the onions start turning translucent.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove the vegetables from the pot.
– Pour the cooking liquid into the pot and let it come to a boil.  Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the beef and herbs.  Cover the pot and let it simmer very gently for about 2 hours.
– Add the vegetables, cover the pot and let it cook for another hour or until the meat is very tender.  Let the meat sit for at least 20 minutes before eating.  Skim off the oil before serving.  You can let the dish sit overnight so the flavors meld together more, and the oil will also solidify, making removal easier.