Braised Short Ribs

From Royal Oak’s Café Muse
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When Café Muse moved from its original location in a tiny space on Royal Oak’s Washington Avenue to larger quarters up the street, proprietors Greg Reyner and David Smith obtained a bistro license and added a dinner menu to their early-day offerings. This is a simple but satisfying cold-weather dish, with many of the ingredients obtained from local sources. Chef Reyner calls his style “comfort food with a twist.”

Braised Short Ribs

Photograph by Joe Vaughn

(Serves 6 to 8)

4-5 pounds short ribs, preferably boneless
3 large tomatoes, diced and with seeds removed
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 shallots, diced
1 cup red wine (pinot noir works well)
Fresh thyme sprigs, tied together with string
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan over high heat. Add oil, followed by short ribs, and brown ribs well on both sides. If the pan is too small, brown in stages.

Transfer browned meat to roasting pan. Add the shallots, followed by the garlic, to the sauté pan. Sweat for a minute, being careful not to burn. Deglaze the pan with red wine and add tomatoes. Toss in the thyme and pour the mixture over the short ribs. Make sure meat is covered by the mixture. Loosely cover roaster with parchment paper or lid. (Do not use aluminum foil because the acids will react to it).

Roast in oven 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until tender. Transfer to a container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove fat that may have formed around the top. Slowly reheat in a 350-degree oven.