Braising

As the cold weather continues to ripple through our bones, we tend to think that the idea of having good, wholesome food might as well be thrown right out the window. With our wonderful cooking method braising, it is not true. What is braising? Without giving the scientific reasoning behind caramelizing sugars and breaking down proteins using wet cooking methods, it is simple. Braising is searing your meat/vegetables and then covering them with liquid and continuing to cook until tender, usually for meats about 4 hours; for vegetables maybe 1 hour.
In the case of beef shortribs (3 lbs.), season each of the ribs with a light touch of salt and pepper (The salt has no where to go when braising) and then sear them until they are brown on all sides on medium-high heat. Next, brown up vegetables consisting of 1 each onion, celery stalk, and a carrot. When these are nice and brown (caramelized), add half a bottle of red wine and reduce the red wine in the pot by half while scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Next, add water until the shortribs are covered and then add some whole peppercorns and any herbs you deem appropriate (thyme, rosemary, its up to you!) Next, bring the pot up to a low boil and then cover it in foil (or use a lid) and place it into a 350 degree oven for about three hours.
The short ribs are done when the meat is soft to the touch and the bones can easily twist inside of them (give them a tug!) the cooking times vary according to size, however, the store-bought shortribs I have been using tend to be small and cook quickly. Now let the shortribs cool in their liquid; removing them while hot will dry out the shortribs and they will also lose flavor. After the liquid is cooled and the shortribs are removed, take out the solidified fat that has cooled, and then strain the liquid into another pot and reduce it until it is thick (that is why you LIGHTLY season the shortribs) and then add the shortribs back into the liquid so they heat up again. Serve your shortribs over some horseradish mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts with guanciole. Spoon the remainder of the sauce over the shortribs and you have yourself a wonderful cold weather treat!
Sounds tough? Not really. Takes a long time? Nope. The oven and your cold garage (for cooling your ribs after they have cooked) do most of the work after the initial browning, and the browning (caramelizing) only takes maybe 20-30 minutes max. So give them a try and let me know how your shortribs turn out!