Braised Short Ribs No Wine Necessary

Simple braised short ribs served with a savory stew spooned over creamy mashed potatoes.

What makes these short ribs so good?

These short ribs are tender, flavorful and there’s no wine necessary to achieve the depth of flavor you get from these beauties.

I use beef broth and crushed tomatoes to help break down the short ribs while they slowly cook in a Dutch oven for less than 2 hours.

How do I choose the right cut of meat?

When I look for short ribs, I look for a cut of meat with at least an inch and a half of beef above the bone. You want to make sure you also look for a marbled fat throughout and a fat cap on the bottom. You don’t want a huge fat cap, but enough that it will render down and add flavor to your meal.

What do I season the beef with?

SALT. That is IT. I use a high quality pink Himalayan sea salt instead of table salt. I prefer the larger salt crystals and it seems to be less salty but still lends a perfect touch to my savory dishes. According to the Mayo Clinic, both table salt and sea salt have virtually the same nutritional value, so it really just comes down to your preference.

These short ribs fall right off the bone and are packed with flavor.

What You’ll Need

• 4-5 short ribs

• 2 tablespoons of salt

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 tablespoons of butter

• 2 carrots peeled and chopped

• 3 stalks of celery chopped

• 1/2 a yellow onion chopped

• 2 leeks chopped and rinsed thoroughly

• 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

• 1 tsp dried parsley

• 1 tsp dried basil

• 1 tsp dried sage

• 1 tsp ground pepper

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1.5 cups beef broth ( I used a low sodium option)

• one 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, add a tablespoon of olive oil and set to medium high heat. Season your short ribs generously with 2 tablespoons of a high quality sea salt on all sides. I use the pink Himalayan sea salt from Costco.

2. Sear your short ribs on every side for a minute preside. Remove your short ribs when you’ve seared all sides and set on a baking tray and set your oven to 350 degrees before making your stew.

3. In the same Dutch oven, add in your veggies, butter and spices and sauté for 10 minutes.

4. Add in your beef broth, can of crushed tomatoes and stir to combine before adding your short ribs back in. Simply nest the short ribs on top of the stew.

5. Place your Dutch oven with the lid on in your preheat oven. Leave to cook for 1.5-2 hours.

6. Make your side of choice (ie, rice, polenta), I made mashed potatoes using a very simple method. Serve over top and enjoy!

   1. Boil 5 large peeled golden potatoes until fork tender.

   2. Strain the potatoes and add back into the pot you used to boil them.

   3. Add in 2 tablespoons salted butter, a 1/2 cup milk and mash together until fully combined and creamy. You could even add in a 1/4 cup of parmesan if you want it EXTRA creamy.