SHORT RIBS, SIMPLY BRAISED

Blot meat dry and season with salt, pepper, coriander. Place them in heated braising pan over high heat to sear and brown. Do in batches so as not to crowd the pan creating steam. Remove meat to holding pan. Add onion, carrot,  celery and garlic to the pan. Cook to release flavor and aromatics about 10 minutes. Add wine and water to cover bottom of pan; bring to boil. Add meat back to the braising pan and cover. Place into the oven at 325ºF for approximately 3 hours. Serve on the bone or chill in braising liquid long enough to be able to handle without burning your hands. Remove meat to holding pan. Remove bone from meat. Remove large fatty and connective tissue. Separate large pieces of solid meat from the meaty scrapes. Make sure you do this while meat is still warm enough to clean without tearing it. Refrigerate meat and scrap until needed.

Cool braising liquid in the refrigerator until liquid is cold and the solid fat is on top. Remove the  fat and discard. Reheat defatted liquid and strain through seive. Place this strained sauce into clean braising pan. Top with meat that has been cut into portions. Cover and bake/roast at 325ºF for about 1 hour or until temperature reaches 165°F. Serve and enjoy!

Chef’s Notes: By cooling the meat in the liquid even 30 minutes–moisture absorbs back into the meat. Further, cooling the remaining liquid until fat is solid gives you the opportunity to remove the fat making a leaner dish. There will still be plenty of richness in this cut of meat, since the cooking process has melted the collagen which gives a richness, not fattiness.

Service Ideas:   Serve over polenta  or creamy grits, and seasonal vegetables. Garnish with small amount of chopped Calabrian chili peppers and something to counter the richness such as a fresh fruit salsa, or dandilion salad as we did in the July 2015 Dinner Show.