Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs

By MKMILLION

Boneless short ribs braised and served over creamy polenta. The gelatin mixture replaces the fat that would be there if using bone-in ribs. This recipe gets rid of a lot of the fat found in using bone-in ribs.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 lbs boneless beef short ribs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 cups Barolo, or other full-bodied red wine
• 1 16-ounce can of peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand with their juices
• 1 cup brown chicken stock
• 1/2 bunch thyme
• 1/2 bunch rosemary
• 1/2 bunch oregano
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and cook them over high heat until deep brown all on sides, about 15 minutes total.

Remove the short ribs to a plate and set aside. Add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic to the pan and cook over high heat until browned and softened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the red wine, tomatoes and juices, chicken stock and herbs, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits. Bring the mixture to a boil and return the short ribs to the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Cook for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and literally falling off the bones.

To make the pan sauce:
Add cold water to a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top of water and let set about 5 minutes. Strain cooking liquids into a fat separator. Allow to settle about 5 minutes. Pour liquids into a small sauce pan leaving behind any fat. Bring to simmer and reduce to about 1 cup. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin mixture.

Spoon soft polenta into each bowl. Place one short rib in each bowl, top with a little of the pan saace, and serve immediately.