short ribs to fill the yawning void in your soul

this recipe came to me in a dream. in the dream I encountered a sightless man, ninety feet tall, crouched at the edge of a black, bottomless pit. the creature bellowed, gibbering and howling in despair and ceaseless, eternal hunger. gradually his wailing coalesced into a single cry: "more", he howled. at that moment a purple cast iron Dutch French oven of short ribs materialized in front of my eyes, floating just out of reach, taunting me with its gently wafting, meaty fragrance. I sobbed with the effort of grasping for the short ribs, all the while buffeted by the despairing cries of the sightless creature. at the last minute, just when I thought I was doomed to plunge into the maw of the yawning void, my hands grasped the purple handles and I pulled the Dutch French oven to my chest like a drowning man clutches a lifesaver. I yanked the lid off and hurled the entire contents into the creature's gaping mouth. the gale-like howling ceased, bubbling into grateful whimpers as the creature devoured the short ribs, Dutch French oven and all.

ingredients

  • quart of beef or chicken stock
  • 1 yellow onion, rough chopped
  • like… 6 leeks? idk, I had a lot of leeks, sliced
  • couple of carrots chopped
  • 5-ish garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 can diced tomatoes (I had them in the fridge open already) - otherwise a scoop of tomato paste is great
  • red wine. so much wine actually
  • 2-3 pounds bone-in short ribs
  • a few fresh thyme sprigs
  • dried herbs - oregano, thyme, marjoram, kind of whatever you've got in that family
  • salt & pepper
  • vegetable oil

directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Season the short ribs with salt & pepper and sear in a heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) on all sides. Set aside.
  3. Pour in a glug of oil. Sautee leeks, onions, carrots for about 20 min over medium heat in the short ribs drippings. Be careful not to burn the onions or leeks! Turn the heat down if you need to. Season the veg with a little salt & pepper and some of the dried herbs.
  4. Add the garlic and sautee for about a minute, being careful not to let it burn.
  5. Add a quart of stock & and a couple of glugs of wine. Simmer ~10 minutes to reduce.
  6. Add tomatoes or tomato paste and fresh thyme.
  7. Add short ribs - liquid should almost cover ribs but they should not be fully submerged. Say about 3/4 submerged.
  8. Cover the pot with tinfoil and the pot lid and cook for about two and a half hours. Check and see if you need to add liquid - water or a mixture of water and wine will do.
  9. Braise for another couple of hours until the ribs are falling off the bone.
  10. Serve over grits or egg noodles or something. A nice green salad with a good sharp lemon/other citrus dressing is great with this dish.