Recipe: Piemontese Short Ribs

When we asked Harmon of Maple Avenue Farms how he likes to eat his own Sun Fed Beef, he said a rare hamburger, just like Grazin Angus' Chip did. The reasons were similar - it's cheap, easy and a great way to showcase quality grass-fed flavor. Alex, on the other hand, said short ribs. We were pretty pumped about this answer. Not that we don't love a good burger (and boy, do we!) but we hadn’t posted our short rib recipe yet and Jake had been looking for an excuse.

Short ribs are a great cut, especially in the colder months. Like most cuts from the shoulder (e.g. brisket, chuck) it needs a long, slow braise. But unlike those other cuts, you cook it on the bone, which deepens the flavor of the meat. Short ribs are also great because they're fairly cheap and always a crowd-pleaser which makes them an awesome dinner party food! There are tons of delicious ways to cook them, but Jake like to refer to the northern Italian foothills of Piemonte for his version (doesn't he always?), using the deep flavors of the region's wine as an earthy base.

We were heading over to Christian and Lauren's apartment for a night of games and booze so we thought we'd bring our short rib contribution. For the low-key evening we didn't make any sides but in case you do, this dish is perfect over some creamy polenta. 

Piemontese Short Ribs

+ 3 lbs of Short Ribs

+ 4 tbsp of olive oil

+ 1 cup of flour

+ ½ cup salt

+ 1 lb of carrots, cut into discs

+ 2 large onions, diced

+ 3 tbsp of tomato paste

+ 1 bottle of Piemonte wine (e.g. Dolcetta D’alba, Barbera)

+ 2 cups of stock

+ 1 bay leaf

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Mix the flour and salt on a plate, and coat the short ribs in the mixture.

2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or dutch oven. When the oil starts to shimmer, brown the ribs in batches so as not to over crowd the pot. Set aside the browned ribs.

3. Put the carrots and onions in the pot, adding oil if needed.

4. When the carrots and onions start to brown, make some room in the center of the pot and add the tomato paste. Let that caramelize for a few minutes.

5. Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables then pour in wine, until the bottle is empty or the wine reaches the top of the ribs. Let the wine reduce by half.

6. Add enough stock so that the liquid just covers the ribs, and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and cover.

7. Put in the oven for 3 hours, or until meat is falling off bone.

Serves 4-5