Cabernet Braised Beef Short Ribs

Short ribs are a fabulous cut of meat.  But they are quite expensive and you don't get a lot of meat for your buck.  Most of the weight of what you buy is bone, and you can't even feed those to the dog!  Ah, but once you find a good recipe and you are able to commit an hour of prep and 3 hours to cook, you'll be glad you invested in this particular cut.  If you can't find them in the meat case, ask your butcher if they have any, but if they have to cut them, ask to trim them too.  May as well have them do the dirty work!  We used over 4 1/2 lbs of ribs and doubled everything else, and served over mashed potatoes.

Cabernet-Braised Beef Short Ribs


Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 short ribs, 2/3 cup noodles, and about 2 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Cooking spray

2 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

1 cup cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices celery (about 2 stalks)

1 cup (1-inch) slices carrot (about 2 medium)

6 garlic cloves, sliced

2 (6-inch) rosemary sprigs

1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

4 cups hot cooked wide egg noodles

Chopped parsley (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Add ribs to pan; cook for 8 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Add beef broth to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
3. Combine broth, wine, and tomato paste in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Place ribs, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, and onion in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour broth mixture over rib mixture. Cover with foil; bake at 300° for 3 1/2 hours or until ribs are very tender.

4. Uncover dish; strain broth mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid. Reserve ribs; discard remaining solids. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour reserved liquid into bag. Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain liquid into a small saucepan, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat.
5. Add flour to pan, stirring well with a whisk. Place pan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Serve sauce with ribs and noodles. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.