Short ribs. They are, in our opinion, generally underrated, for what can be a juicy, flavourful meal, when cooked properly. The key with Short Ribs is to cook low & slow, and in moisture, to ensure they aren’t overcooked and don’t dry out.
This recipe is adapted from one of our favourite cookbooks, “The Nourished Kitchen”, by Jennifer McGruther. It’s full of many of the types of foods promoted by “Nourishing Traditions” and traditional foods guru Sally Fallon, but with a more modern twist and creative, yet simple, ideas. Check out her blog at Nourished Kitchen.
Short ribs do best with long and slow cooking. The cut is lined with sinew and fat, which can make it pretty tough if not cooked correctly, or really tender and delicious, if cooked well! So, give this recipe a go – it involves both wine (!) and sun-dried tomatoes (seasonally available from Fresh Roots Farm!), which makes it a cozy, endearing dish. Note that this is a smaller portion meal – increase it of course, if you’re serving more people!
- Course Main Dish
- Cuisine Grassfed Beef, Slow-Cooked Meals
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs Fresh Roots Farm bone-in Grassfed Beef Short Ribs (about 2 packages)
- 1/4 tsp unrefined sea salt finely ground
- 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter or lard plus more if needed
- 2 oz bacoon finely chopped *ideally from pastured pork!
- 2 carrots peeled & diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (from Fresh Roots Farm!)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary needles or 1/2 tbsp dried
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tbsp dried
- 1 cup dry red wine plus more if needed / for tasting (!)
- 1 cup Beef Bone Broth (from Fresh Roots Farm Grassfed Soup Bones!)
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250F.
- Trim the ribs of any sinew or silver skin with a sharp knife, then rinse them and pat them dry. Sprinkle the ribs with the salt and pepper and set them on a plate.
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When it froths, stir in the bacon and fry it until it releases its fat and turns brown and crispy, about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
- Increase the heat to high and, place short ribs in the pot. Brown them for 1 minute on each side, then return them to the plate. When all the ribs have been browned, decrease the heat to medium and add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic to the pot. Fry the vegetables, adding more butter if necessary, until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- While the vegetables cook, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, and thyme in a mortar and pound them with a pestle until they form a uniform paste. Alternatively, process the tomatoes and herbs in a food processor until they form a paste.
- Stir the tomato and herb paste into the Dutch oven, then return the short ribs and bacon to the pan. Stir in the wine and broth. Drop in the bay leaves, then cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Leave the pot in the oven for 5 hours, until the meat falls off the bone under firm pressure of a fork. Check on the contents from time to time and add more wine or broth as necessary to keep the ribs covered. Remove the bay leaf and serve.
Recipe Notes
You can purchase Fresh Roots Farm Grassfed Short Ribs as part of the following packages:
- Half Grassfed Beef
- Quarter (Split Half) Grassfed Beef
- $200 Grassfed Beef Variety Pack
- Grassfed Beef Slow Cooker Pack ($85)