Super Short Ribs

So one of my New Year's Resolutions is to become more efficient at the grocery store.  I can literally spend hours at Whole Foods... Curt is amazed at the amount of time I spend there.  Part of the reason I take so long is that I don't have a grocery list.  Sometimes, I have an idea of what I want to cook, but when I get to the store, I get dazzled by the arrays of veggies and meat counter, that I forget what I wanted.  Anyway... the point is.... I'm trying to write a list of the dishes I'll make each week and also write down a specific shopping list.  Last Saturday, as I was creating my list, I checked Pinterest (one of my new obsessions) and I found this idea from Pioneer Woman.  It looked delicious and different, so I decided to give it a try!  I LOVED it!!! Also, I didn't really need to change much from the recipe at all!

Short Ribs with Wine and Cream

original recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks

* 12 individual short ribs

* 3 Tbs bacon fat

* 1 cup good red wine

* 1 qt chicken stock

* 2 Tbs fresh minced rosemary

* 2 Tbs Dijon mustard

* 1 cup heavy cream (optional)

* 2 Tbs capers

First, I seasoned the short ribs on both sides with some salt and pepper.  I also heated up my heavy bottom cast iron pan and added in the bacon fat.  You want the pan to be super duper hot so that you can sear the short ribs. 

So here, you can see me browning the short ribs.  The point isn't to cook them through, but to develop a nice brown sort of crust to seal in all of the yummy flavors.  Once each side is nicely browned, you take them out and put them on a separate plate.  You'll have to cook them in batches, unless you happen to have a freakishly large pot!

Once you're done, you'll have a huge pile of nicely browned short ribs.  Just let them hang out a bit and turn the heat on the stove down to medium.

Next, you'll add the red wine and mustard to the pot.  Don't worry about the browned bits at the bottom of the pan... even though it looks like gunk... it's the most delicious gunk ever!  Once the red wine is in there, take a wooden spoon and scrape up those bits and they will dissolve and add so much flavor to the meal!

Next, add in the chicken stock and rosemary.  The original recipe called for beef broth.  I think this would have been really really good, but... I didn't have any beef broth.  I did have home made  chicken stock, so I figured that would be a nice enough swap.  Luckily, it worked! 

 Next, you'll add the short ribs back to the pot and nestle the little ribs as much as possible into the sauce.  You want to have it covered as much as possible.  Then, you'll cover it, reduce the heat to medium low, and the patience comes into play.

You just set it and forget it.  You'll simmer the whole dish on the stove for 2-3 hours.  You could probably also throw it in a crock pot or the oven for a couple of hours too.This is a cut of meat that needs to be cooked low and slow to really enjoy all the flavors.  If you try to rush it, it will be tough and not as flavorful.   Every 30 minutes, I opened the lid so I could enjoy the smells, but also so I could push the short ribs around and make sure that they were all getting a turn to be covered by the broth.   

Finally, Curt was getting annoyed that he could smell all the yummy food, but he couldn't eat it.  After 3 hours, I carefully took the short ribs out and set them on a different plate.  You have to be careful because, at this point, they are so tender they they will just fall apart when you touch them.

Next, I turned the heat back to hi and added in the cream. At this point, it was really really really starting to smell good.  I also added in the capers.  I wasn't sure about this part of the recipe... I don't dislike capers, but I've never really added them in for fun either.  So, I just let it boil pretty nicely for a cood couple of minutes to thicken up a bit.    While I was waiting for the sauce to thicken, I sauteed some asparagus.  The Pioneer Woman (Ree) originally served it over a pile of roasted mushrooms, but we all know that Curtman's not a fan of mushrooms, so I chose asparagus.... I did add in some mushrooms for me, though.

Here's the finished product!  Absolutely amazing! The rosemary and cream and wine and beef... just everything! It was so good! I'm definitely making this recipe again and again. It was relatively simple, super delicious and the flavors were great.  Short ribs are really trendy now, but most of the recipes are pretty similar.  This one is different, unique, and delicious! Thanks, Pioneer Woman!

Enjoy!

Jenn