Wine braised Short Ribs with Blue Cheese Grits

Ok, lets hope this gets me back on the horse for real.

Beef short ribs are like heaven. Like beef cheeks or a good brasato al barolo, they have an amazing beef flavor with that fork tender fall part texture. It’s a great fall-winter meal but damn If I wouldn’t eat them all year long.

As always, source your beef from a good butcher who can make sure you get nice big thick shortribs. you can use the cross-cut or the single rib style. My butcher had the cross cut so thats what was used here.

Wine Braised Short Ribs

3-3 1/2 lbs. cross cut beef short ribs

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

2 tbs olive oil

4 strips of bacon or 1/4 lbs. pancetta

2 medium onions diced

1 celery stalk diced

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

6 large garlic cloves peeled and rough chopped

1 leek thinly sliced white part

1 dried chile (I used a Mulato) stem and seeds removed, ripped into small pieces

1 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes and juice

3 flat leaf parsley sprigs with stems whole plus

1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1 large basil sprig plus 1/3 cup ripped basil leaves

1 large thyme sprig

1 bay leaf

Blue cheese Grits

4 cups homemade Chicken Stock

1 cup stone ground grits

a big handful of good quality blue cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the over to 300° F.
2. Season the short-ribs well with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat and render the bacon or pancetta.
4. brown the short ribs on all sides
5. Do not crowd the short ribs. If you need to do them in more than one batch that is perfectly fine
6. remove the short ribs and set on a platter
7. add the onion and celery to the bacon fat and cook for about 5 mins until soft
8. Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil deglazing the pan using a wooden spoon to scrape the good bits off the bottom of the pan.
9. Add the carrots, leeks, garlic, chile, tomatoes and juice to the pan and bring back to a boil
10. Add the ribs and any juices, the Parsley and basil sprigs and bay leaf
11. remove from heat, cover with a damp piece of parchment paper and then the lid. Set in the center of the preheated oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours
12. After 1 1/2 hour uncover and cook another 1 1/2 back in the oven or until very tender
13. if the ribs are done before your grits, turn off the oven and leave the ribs in until the grits are done. A little extra cooking won’t hurt them.
14. With about 20 mins left for the ribs, start on the grits
15. Bring the four cups of homemade chicken stock (you do have homemade chicken stock don’t you?) to a boil.
16. Add 1 cup of rough stone ground grits with a pinch of salt (depending on how salty your stock is)
17. cook for between 20-25 mins until the grits are tender but not mushy with a slightly runny but not liquidy consistency
18. add a big handful of good quality highly “stinky” blue cheese of your choice.
19. season with salt if needed and pepper
20. Plate the meal but laying down a large portion of the grits and the placing a couple ribs and spooning the sauce over the top

You can use a knife but you’ll find you won’t need it. Enjoy