Beef short ribs are pretty much foolproof, and as long as two things happen, you are in for some very fine eats. First, the beef must be really well browned – I'm talking deep, dark, crusty, and caramelized. The other key step is easier. To paraphrase an expression, 'stick a fork in them, they're done.' Just braise them until they're fork-tender. After browning properly, the only way to mess these up is to undercook them, so don't.
Ingredients
- slices bacon: 4 piece (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
- ½ pounds beef short ribs: 3 piece
- salt and ground black pepper: (to taste)
- sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped: 6 piece
- bay leaf: 1 piece
- onion: 1 piece (diced)
- garlic: 3 clove (minced)
- all-purpose flour: 2 Tbsp
- dry sherry: 1 cup
- quart beef broth: 1 piece
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
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Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer crisped bacon with a slotted spoon to a Dutch oven. Retain bacon drippings in the skillet.
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Generously season short ribs with salt and pepper.
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Heat bacon drippings in the same skillet over high heat. Cook short ribs in hot bacon fat until browned and caramelized on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to the Dutch oven, reserving drippings in the skillet. Add thyme and bay leaf to the ribs mixture.
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Reduce heat under the same skillet to medium. Cook and stir onion in the skillet until soft and golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Whisk flour into onion mixture and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes.
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Pour sherry into onion mixture; cook until thick and hot, about 2 minutes. Pour onion-sherry mixture into Dutch oven; add beef broth and salt to taste. Bring ribs mixture to a simmer and cover the Dutch oven with a lid.
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Transfer Dutch oven to the preheated oven and cook until short ribs are fork tender, about 2 hours. Remove ribs to a serving dish, reserving sauce in the pot.
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Set Dutch oven high heat and boil sauce until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Spoon reduced sauce over ribs.
