There's a particular kind of cold that settles into the Southern Highlands as the nights start to cool — the sort that turns paddocks silver before sunrise and makes the kitchen window the most popular spot in the house. This is the weather short ribs were made for. Few cuts repay patience quite like them: ribbons of marbling rendering down over hours, connective tissue melting into something glossy and yielding, the meat eventually surrendering from the bone with nothing more than the nudge of a spoon.
A good bottle of cab does the heavy lifting here, reducing into a sauce that's deep, savoury, and faintly sweet from slow-cooked aromatics. By the time you lift the lid — somewhere around the three-hour mark, when the windows have fogged and the dog has given up pretending not to notice — you'll have the kind of dish that justifies the whole season. Serve it over soft polenta or buttery mash, pour what's left of the wine, and let winter do its worst.
Ingredients
- 1kg beltie beef short ribs
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 2-3 Brussel sprouts, topped tailed and sliced
- 3 tbsn tomato paste
- 2 cups of robust red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 thyme sprigs
- 1/8 tspn chili flakes (enhances flavour without being “hot”)
The fun
- Heat oven to 160C
- using a sauté pan which will fit the ribs fairly snugly, heat oil over med-high. Add ribs and brown well (4-5 min either side). Remove ribs and reduce heat to medium
- add splash more oil. Sauté onions, garlic and pinch salt for 3-4 min. Add celery, carrots, capsicum and sprouts. Stir and sauté for 3-4 min until all softened.
- Stir through paste. Then add remaining ingredients (not ribs yet). Bring to a simmer.
- add ribs meat side down. Cover and place in oven.
- Braise for 3hrs, gently turning the ribs every 3/4hr.
- serve over mash or polenta. Spoon sauce over.
The flavour enhances if left for a day. And the congealed fat can be removed if desired.