Spiced Wine Short Ribs

braising season is upon us

We all know and love the red wine short rib. It’s cozy, it’s warm, it’s wintery… and I’m just not ready for winter. So staying true to the season I made a short rib dish that encompassed the essence of Autumn.

A little bit about braising

Braising: is a technique that browns/sears the meat first and then adding liquid to finish off the cooking process. It can be finished in the oven or simmered over low heat on the stovetop the entire time.

This is typically done in a dutch oven or braiser. I chose the dutch oven this time around because the short ribs I had were astronomically large.

Bone-In Short Ribs are known to be a bit on the pricey end. Keep an eye out for sales during this time of year. If you have an H-mart near you, I typically find them the cheapest here! Or you can always opt for chuck roast as a cheaper alternative!

Shop my Dutch Ovens here

Staub 7 Qt. Cocotte in White Truffle

5 Qt. Dutch Oven in Cream

A few things to keep in mind:

• Low and Slow

• You want to make sure your short ribs are not fully submerged, I like to have the tops of the short ribs poking up at the top so they still remain a little bit crispy.

• The BIGGEST mistake/sin you can make is not skimming the top layer of fat before using the juices as a sauce or gravy. If you skip this step you are simply just creating a greasy slip and slide on your plate. (I myself have made this mistake, so I am speaking from experience).

• If there’s too much liquid in your cooking vessel towards the last bit of oven time, you can always remove the lid for the last half an hour of cooking, this will help reduce the liquid and crisp up the edges. (or take some liquid out, just be sure not to burn yourself)

Wine Pairings: I paired this with my favorite go-to red, Ercole Monferrato Barbera 1L from Piedmont, Italy. It’s a vibrant, fruity, medium bodied, similar to a Cabernet Sauvignon. I’ve found this bottle at foxtrot and whole foods.

(which if you are Chicago based, can we talk about how they just magically reopened 3 locations again?…Spooky)

Other great wine suggestions would be a Cab Sav or a Zinfandel.

The Inspo for the Dish:

A few years ago I had made an Korean style short rib that used toasted spices and fruit which made a phenomenal aromatic, sweet and savory dish. So I took inspiration from those flavors and applied them here.