Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine Sauce
Utterly unctuous, deliciously tender, and great value for money. I make this to use up any wine I’ve decided I don’t like enough to quaff! It makes a great freezer dish and can be quickly heated up in the microwave without the beef becoming tough.
Ingredients
5 – 6 beef short ribs (300-400g each) at room temperature
1.5 tsp each salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Mirepoix
2tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 large onion chopped
2 celery ribs chopped
2 carrots chopped
Sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
500ml red wine (plus more to ensure ribs are covered)
500ml beef stock
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F.
- Sprinkle beef all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add as many ribs as will fit and brown all over (approx. 5 mins). Remove and repeat with remaining ribs. Once finished keep the ribs on one side
- For the mirepoix, heat the oil on a medium heat in a deep stockpot. Add onion and garlic cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery and cook until carrot is softened and sweet. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add wine, broth, thyme and bay leaves. Stir until tomato paste is fully dissolved (uncooked tomato paste will taste bitter).
- Add the ribs and make sure they are submerged. If not, top up with red wine.
- Cover with lid and transfer to the oven for 3 hours, or until the meat can easily be pried apart with forks.
- Remove the ribs; they should be lovely and succulent so the meat may start falling off the bone. Then cover to keep warm.
- If you like a smooth sauce, strain the liquid and press out the juices from the veg. You can skip this part if you like a chunky sauce! Return sauce back to the pot, bring to simmer and stir. Adjust as necessary – simmer to reduce/thicken, add water to thin, season with salt and pepper if needed
Put ribs on a serving plate, spoon over sauce. Serve with champ and some green veg.
Cooks’ Tip: Once the beef is cooked I leave the whole dish to steep for a day. Not only does this add to the depth of flavour but also allows any fat in the sauce to solidify and you can just lift it off. I then remove the beef and reduce the stock by two-thirds.