Braised Beef Short Ribs

1. 1

   Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven, remove the racks above it, and heat to 325°F. Brush 3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, then sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper.

2. 2

   Heat a deep, wide Dutch oven or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the short ribs in one layer, leaving room between each and working in batches if necessary. Now would be a good moment to turn on your hood vent or fan, if you have one! Sear the short ribs without moving for several minutes on each side, letting them brown deeply. Use tongs to turn and sear all sides. This will take about 15 minutes total.

   15 min
3. 3

   Turn the heat down to medium and add 1 sliced large onion and 4 minced garlic cloves around the browned short ribs. Let the onions cook until they soften, about 5 minutes.

   5 min
4. 4

   Add 3 cups beer, wine, or low-sodium broth and bring to a simmer.

5. 5

   After the liquid comes to a simmer, add 2 to 4 sprigs fresh herbs. Cover and place in the oven. (Alternately, this is the point where you can transfer to the slow cooker for 8 hours on the LOW setting, or continue cooking on very low heat on the stovetop.) Braise in the oven until the meat is very tender and pulling away from the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

   480 min
6. 6

   When the meat is done, rest in a covered pan for 20 minutes before serving. Serve by gently tugging the chunks of meat away from the bone and spooning the saucy onions over top.

   20 min
7. 7

   OPTIONAL STEP — Refrigerate overnight. While short ribs can be served immediately, they are a very fatty cut, which makes the dish very rich and even greasy. I prefer to let the ribs sit in the sauce and cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate them overnight. At this point, you can scrape away the hardened layer of fat from the top before reheating. They will also improve in flavor and tenderness while resting overnight.

8. 8

   Reheat. To reheat, cover and warm over low heat on the stove for 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe Notes

1. 9

   Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.