Chef notes
A Dutch oven is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are an absolute kitchen essential and a staple. They have so many different purposes and functions and are incredibly durable and long lasting. You can go directly from sauteing on your stovetop straight into the oven to braise.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ cups kosher salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 cups ice
- 4 boneless short ribs, 1/2- to 3/4-pound each
- 1 cup corn oil, divided
- 2 cups cipollini onions, cleaned
- 1 cup small-diced leeks, washed and drained (preferably the white part)
- 1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
- 1 cup pinot noir
- 6 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce, like Tabasco
- Salt and pepper, as needed
Preparation
For the brine:
1.Add all of the ingredients to a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, let cool and then add the ice to cool completely.
2.Place the ribs in a zip-top bag and cover the short ribs with the brine. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
For the short ribs:
1.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Remove the short ribs from the brine and pat dry, making sure they are as dry as possible, then season heavily with salt and pepper.
2.Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat or until the point of almost smoking. Add ½ cup of the corn oil. When it begins to smoke, add the short ribs and brown them on all sides (about 2-3 minutes on each side, making sure that they reach a rich dark color). Take the meat out of the pan and set aside.
3.Heat the Dutch oven back to medium-high heat and add the remaining ½ cup of corn oil, as well as the cipollini onions and leeks to the Dutch oven. Saute them until they are lightly caramelized, then add the sun-dried tomatoes and thyme.
4.The whole time, make sure to lightly scrape the bottom of the pan to get all those delicious good meat bites off of the bottom. Add the pinot noir to the vegetables in the Dutch oven and simmer until reduced by half.
5.Add the stock and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Then pour the vegetable-wine mixture over the short ribs. Bring the short ribs to a boil then turn off the stove. Cover the Dutch oven with foil and bake for 3 to 4 hours or until they are fork-tender.
