This is winter comfort food that will take the chill off any cold day. Your house will smell wonderful as the meat roasts in the oven.

Serves 6-8

Stew

2 T olive oil
6 slices thick cut bacon, diced
3 lbs boneless short ribs, trimmed of excess fat, cut into large chunks
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 1⁄2 c dry red wine (Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, Chianti, etc)
1⁄4 c bourbon or whiskey
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T tomato paste
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 T Dijon mustard
2 c beef broth

Vegetables

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” dice
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally 1⁄2” thick
10 oz peas, fresh or frozen
Chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 325.

In a large Dutch oven or lidded pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the bacon and cook until browned and the fat is rendered. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides. Do not crowd the pan. You most likely have to brown the meat in batches. Remove from the pot to a plate and repeat until all the beef is browned.

Check to see how much fat is left in the pot. If it seems dry, add a little oil or bacon fat. Add the onions, fennel, and celery to the empty pot and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and cook for 1 more minute. Deglaze the pot by adding the bourbon and half the wine, scraping up brown bits then simmering for a couple of minutes.

Add the tomato paste, mustard, tomatoes, remaining wine, broth, the reserved beef and any accumulated juices, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine, then cover the pot, transfer it to the oven and bake for 11⁄2 hours

Skim off fat if there is an excessive amount. Stir in the carrots and potatoes, cover the pot and return it to the oven for 50 minutes, until the vegetables and meat are very tender. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Add the peas and reserved bacon and simmer for 5 minutes to cook the peas. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Bourbon Beef Short Rib Stew