½onionyellow onion(1 small yellow onion or ½ medium sized onion)
2stalkscelery
4clovesfresh garlic
2-½cupsred wine(your favorite red wine I used Merlot)
5cupschicken broth
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile chop the onions and celery and mince the garlic.
Remove excess fat from short ribs. Wash and pat dry with paper towels. Season liberally with kosher salt, black pepper and Cajun spice blend.
Place dutch oven or other oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add grape-seed oil and heat. Place short ribs with the meaty side down and sear until a brown crusty coating develops on the outer surface about 8 minutes. (Sear the short ribs in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. If you overcrowd the pot, the ribs will steam and not sear). Place short ribs on a clean plate and set aside.
Remove a little of the oil from the dutch oven keeping only 2-3 tablespoons along with the brown bits. Add the chopped onion, celery, and minced garlic to the pot and saute until the onions become translucent about 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the shorts ribs back to the dutch oven and pour in the red wine and chicken broth. Cover with the lid and place in the preheated oven. Allow the short ribs to cook for 2.5 hours until for tender and nearly fall off the bone.
Serve over creamy garlic mashed potatoes and spoon the sauce over the short ribs so it drips down the sides and onto the mashed potatoes.
Notes
Season generously with kosher salt
Before searing, make sure the short ribs are completely dry if not you will not get a nice sear
Remove excess fat from the ribs
Sear short ribs in grape-seed oil or other cooking oil that have a high smoke point
Sear the short ribs until a nice brown crusting outer layer develops not until they're burnt
Cook long and slow simply means cooking at a low oven temperature for at least 2.5 hours to get the most tender and delicious tasting meat
Use a combination of red wine with chicken broth or red wine with beef broth
If you prefer not using wine, using broth alone tastes great, but red wine adds a depth of flavor
You can also use water as your liquid but your recipe will not have tons of flavor
For a smoother sauce, pour the sauce through a strainer before serving to capture the onions and celery