Balsamic and Brown Sugar Short Ribs Fall Right off the Bone
Meaty short ribs are slowly braised in a sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar-infused broth in this one-pot meal from Leah Koenig, author of The Jewish Cookbook. Let them cook in your Dutch oven for a few hours, and not only will your whole kitchen smell incredible, but you’ll be met with fall-off-the-bone-tender meat to enjoy. Short ribs are braised with winter vegetables such as sweet cipollini onion and nutty celeriac for a comforting and hearty meal on the coldest nights.
Ingredients
- Two tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Eight bone-in beef short ribs (about 4 1/2 pounds)
- One teaspoon of black pepper, plus more to taste
- One tablespoon of kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- One medium-sized yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- Six cloves of garlic, thinly cut (about three tablespoons).
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- One teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- Two bay leaves
- 12 small fresh cipollini onions (about 10 ounces), trimmed and peeled
- One large celeriac (celery roots), peeled and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces.
- Three sliced carrots (about 1 1/2 cups), peeled.
- Parsley, flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional).
Directions
- Preheat oven to 275degF. Oil in a large Dutch Oven on medium-high heat. Sprinkle two teaspoons of salt and black pepper evenly over the short ribs. Cook short ribs in two batches. Flip them occasionally, and brown all sides for about 10 minutes. Transfer the browned short ribs onto a plate and set them aside.
- Remove all but two tablespoons of drippings from the Dutch oven. Discard. Add the remaining one teaspoon of salt, sliced yellow onion, and garlic to the Dutch oven and return it to medium heat. Stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven to remove browned bits will help you cook for 6-8 minutes until your onion has softened and become browned. Stir in the vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been reduced by half.
- Add bay leaves, broth, brown sugar, and the onion mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves, approximately 1 minute. In a Dutch oven, place the browned short ribs in one layer, meaty-side down. Pour all juices accumulated on top. Bring the mixture back to a simmer on medium-high.
- Cover the Dutch oven and transfer it to the preheated oven. Braise for an hour. Cover; add cipollini onion, celeriac, and carrots. Be sure to cover them with liquid. Continue braising and hiding until the vegetables are soft, and a paring knife can easily pierce the meat. This should take about an hour and thirty minutes.
- Remove short ribs and vegetables from the oven. Transfer the short ribs, vegetables, and sauce to a platter. Set aside. Return Dutch oven back to stovetop and bring liquid to simmer over medium-high, covered. Reduce heat to medium and simmer gently, stirring occasionally until the liquid has been reduced slightly and the flavors have concentrated. This should take 10 to 15 min. Remove bay leaves and discard. Add additional salt and black pepper to the sauce according to your taste. Spoon off any excess fat on top of the sauce. Discard. Pour the sauce into a gravy vessel through a fat separator; discard any excess fat. Pour the desired amount of sauce on short ribs. If desired, garnish with parsley. Serve with the remaining sauce immediately.
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