D is For Dinner: Short Ribs

Serves: 4

Wine pairing: Peller Estates Cabernet 2009 VQA
Trius Cabernet Sauvignon VQA
Dan Aykroyd 2007 Cabernet Shiraz VQA

Ingredients
=== Protein ===
3-4 lbs short ribs - flanken cut or along the bone
=== Braising liquid ===
1 large onion
2 large carrots
1 celery stalk
3-5 garlic cloves
4 tbsp flour
1/3 small can tomato paste
200ml red wine for deglazing
1 tomato, large
1.5L beef stock
1/2 tsp mustard powder, optional
1/2 tsp chili powder or cayenne (for a more smokey flavour, use chipotle), optional
1 Jalapeno pepper
=== Bouquet Garni
10 cps black peppercorns
6 thyme stems
6 parsley stems
3 bay leaves
=== to finish ===
callebaut dark chocolate chippits, to taste
=== Garniture ===
2 large carrots, sliced
10 pearl onions, peeled
4 large potatoes
=== if glazing carrots and onions ===
sugar
butter
salt
Vegetables
Prepare the vegetables when the ribs are cooking. Some vegetables that would pair well with
the short ribs are:
• Glazed pearl onions
• Glazed or boiled carrots
• Glazed white turnip
• Boiled Green beans
• Roast potatoes
Ribs and sauce
• Cut carrots, onions, celery in large pieces and cut garlic cloves in half.
• Season (salt and white pepper) the ribs
• Using some vegetable or olive oil, sear the ribs in a dutch oven/cocotte on top of the
stove. Heat the oil and then add the ribs. Sear all sides of the ribs. Reserve.
• To the cocotte, add onions, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté until soft.
• Add flour: Move the vegetables to the side, add flour directly on bottom and about 30
seconds later mix vegetables with flour. The flour will cook slightly and give nicer
flavour; it will also thicken the sauce while the ribs cook. There will be some of the
flour sticking to the bottom; that's expected. Deglazing the pan (below) will fix that.
• Add tomato paste: Move the vegetables to the side, add the paste directly on bottom
and about 30 seconds later mix vegetables with paste. The paste is there to give
colour and some flavour. There will be some paste sticking to the bottom; deglazing
(below) will fix that.
• Deglaze with good red wine making sure to clean the bottom of the cocotte with a
scraper/spatula. The wine should cover the bottom of the cocotte (¼ to ½ inch is
good).
• Add fresh tomato if desired. Chop tomato in large pieces and add to pot.
• Place ribs in cocotte. Try to avoid placing the ribs directly on the bottom as they may
burn.
• Add beef stock to cover. This liquid will be a sauce later. Depending on the size of the
cocotte more than 1.5L may be needed to cover.
• Add bouquet garni items and other spices including jalapeno pepper. Do not add the
chocolate at this point; it's for when the sauce is complete.
• Bring liquid to a boil, cover and place in 225F oven. Cook until rib meat is falling from
the bone - about 3 hours.
While the ribs are cooking, prepare some extra vegetables as the ones being cooked with the
ribs will be thoroughly soggy and have all their flavour removed into the sauce.
Making the sauce and finishing
• When the meat is done remove the rib meat carefully to another plate, reserve under
aluminium foil. The bones can be discarded. It's usually easiest to do this by spooning
out the solid items with a slotted spoon and picking out the meat from that.
• Strain liquid into bowl/pot, removing any meat missed in the step above - this will form
the basis of the sauce. The vegetables can be discarded.
• Wipe cocotte clean as it will be used to finish the sauce.
• Strain sauce back into cocotte.
• Reduce sauce until fairly thick (a la nappe) and check seasoning. If the sauce is too
thick, add water or beef stock to thin.
• Add the chocolate over low heat (or even off heat if the cocotte has enough heat in it).
Melt the chocolate into the sauce. Check seasoning.
• When sauce is at the right consistency and has the right seasoning place the ribs back
in the cocotte and fully coat. Heat in the oven at 350F for a few minutes to reheat
the ribs.
• Serve with the new vegetables.