Bourbon Braised Short Ribs
Recipe by: Catherine Pla
Yield: serves 6
Bourbon Braised Short Ribs
This hands-off, do-ahead dinner couldn’t be easier. Your house will smell wonderful as the meat roasts in the oven. Roast some potatoes to go with.
2 T avocado oil
3 lbs boneless short ribs (or 5 lbs bone-in)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
4 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 T tomato paste
¼ c bourbon
2 c beef broth
½ c parsley, coarsely chopped
Preheat the oven to 275.
In a large Dutch oven or lidded pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel and season on all sides with salt and pepper. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pot, brown the ribs on all sides, 6-8 minutes. 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 and pour off all but 2 tablespoons. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and continue to cook until vegetables are softened but not yet browned, 5-10 minutes.
Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and tomato paste and stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste has started to caramelize a bit on the bottom of the pot, 1-2 minutes. Add bourbon and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in beef broth. Return short ribs to the pot, along with any accumulated juices, nestling them in so that they are submerged, adding more broth or water as necessary. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot, transfer it to the oven and cook for 1½ - 2 hours (3½ - 4 hrs for bone-in).
Using tongs, remove short ribs from the pot and transfer to a serving platter. (While you could serve from the pot, the vegetables have given up all their flavor and texture and aren’t worth much now, so strain the sauce for easier eating, skimming off excess fat). Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Garnish ribs with chopped parsley and lemon zest and serve sauce alongside. Serve with roasted or mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or polenta.