Braised Short Ribs + Parsnip-Potato Purée Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables go best with braised short ribs? ›

I serve the braised short ribs with some beautiful, simply roasted root vegetables – using carrots, red and golden beets, and turnips here, but feel free to throw in whatever you like or have on hand.

Choosing the right cut of short rib:

Look for well-marbled, bone-in short ribs with a good amount of meat versus fat. This marbling adds flavor and keeps the meat moist during the cooking process. Opt for bone-in ribs as they contribute to the richness of the dish and provide additional depth to the braising liquid.

Return the short ribs to the pan and add 2 cups water or until the water has just about covered the meat. Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Check periodically during the cooking process and add more water, if needed.

Believe it or not, it is possible to braise short ribs for too long. While you want the short ribs to be fall-apart tender, cooking them too long will result in ribs that are mushy.

First, brown or sear the ribs at a high temperature then cook them in liquid at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. This is an excellent cooking method for tougher cuts of meat that will become tender after prolonged cooking!

Cover the pan with foil, crimping the edges to seal it as well as you can. Move the roasting pan to the oven and cook, about 2 hours, until the alarm sounds. If you like, you can flip the ribs once during cooking, but be sure to re-place the probe appropriately.

If they aren't braised long enough, they can be super tough to eat; if they are cooked too long, the meat will just fall apart. The key to preparing short ribs is to cook them until they reach a point that is just before they would fall apart.

If your ribs are chewy, you either forgot to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs or you didn't cook them long enough. If your ribs are dry, you likely cooked them too hot and fast.

When the rib bone is cut into a 3-to-6-inch (7.6 to 15.2 cm) length, left as a section of meat (a "plate") containing three or four ribs or cut into individual ribs with meat attached, the short rib is known as an "English cut". They may also be known as barbecue ribs, braising ribs, or fancy cut ribs.

Keep the lid on when braising meat, as it needs moist heat over a long period of time to break down the collagen and connective tissues for fork-tender results. "Pot covered, the ingredient you are braising gets continuously bathed in these steaming and simmering liquids, which the item flavors in turn," says Welsh.

Should meat be submerged in braise? ›

Just make sure that the meat you're braising is only partially submerged (if it's fully submerged, you're technically stewing, which is a slightly different process).

The meat that you are braising should be partially covered in liquid, but not submerged. This liquid will eventually become a sauce for the meat, so make sure it is full of flavor.

Braises tend to taste even better the the day after cooking, but there's another reason to cook beef short ribs a day in advance: if you can let the cooking liquid cool overnight, the fat can be easily skimmed away. Beef ribs are a fatty cut, and too much fat in the final sauce makes the dish overrich.

These ribs are chunky, with plenty of meat surrounding the bones and dense fat marbling throughout. This flavoursome fat and connective tissue means that beef short ribs need long, slow cooking in order to become tender.

What To Serve with This Short Rib Ragu. The options are truly endless here, but I love to pile this on storebought gnocchi, freshly-made gnocchi, cauliflower gnocchi, or some delicious pasta like pappardelle. This could also work on polenta or rice.

Serve the short ribs over creamy parmesan polenta or mashed potatoes, making sure to spoon that delicious pan sauce on top.