Holiday Wine-Braised Short Ribs

Holiday Wine-Braised Short Ribs

These deliciously flavorful and tender short ribs, from Shaw Fodor, a D.C.-based home cook born in Chengdu, China, can and should be made up to two days ahead. This is necessary for the depth of flavor on this tough cut, which also requires long, slow braising for tenderness. But the bonus with this dish, unlike with brisket, is there is no extra slicing needed before reheating, only removing the fat that solidifies on top after it’s been refrigerated. And don’t let the many ingredients scare you. The wine, spices, brown sugar and ketchup — even some ginger ale — add balanced layers of savory sweetness to this dish. If you wish, you can add a hot pepper to the pot for a bit of heat. A welcome Sichuan inclusion is the chile oil for those who like an extra hot kick. Serve with root vegetables and plenty of jasmine rice to soak up the abundant pan juices.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

6 pounds bone-in short ribs (at least 1 ½ inches thick), cut into 2- to 4-inch pieces

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon ketchup

2 cups dry red wine

2 cups ginger ale or water 

2 teaspoons soy sauce 

1 large tomato, diced 

1 jalapeño (optional), halved 

3 sprigs fresh rosemary 

3 bay leaves

2 carrots, cut on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, halved crosswise

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, for serving

Sichuan chile oil (optional), homemade or store-bought, for serving

Heat oven to 250 degrees.

Place short ribs on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Warm olive oil in a 7-quart Dutch oven (or other large, heavy ovenproof pot with a lid) over medium heat. Using tongs, sear meat for about 3 minutes per side to give it some color. Return the pieces to the plate, reserving the oil and fat in the pot. 

Add onion to the Dutch oven and stir occasionally until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cumin, curry powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and ketchup. Add meat along with red wine, ginger ale, soy sauce, tomato, jalapeño (if using), rosemary, bay leaves, carrots, and lastly the celery. Cover and transfer to the oven. 

Cook for about 4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and falls off the bones. Remove and discard the celery, rosemary, bay leaves and jalapeño (if used). Let cool in the Dutch oven, then chill in the refrigerator at least overnight and up to 2 days.  

When ready to serve, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove and discard the solidified fat on top of the meat and reheat the short ribs, covered, in the oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with cilantro or parsley and serve with a small bowl of Sichuan chile oil if you’d like.