Braised Short Rib Ragu

This is one of the first recipes I learned to make as I was figuring out how to cook and follow recipes. It’s really easy but also really impressive! It relies on time to do most of the work for you but in the end you get a delicious sauce of meat and tomatoes that you can put on pasta or over polenta. If you want to riff on it, you can add some extra tomato puree or maybe some carrots that will come out really soft and taste great. This is the first building block from which you can build your culinary empire.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb beef short ribs or country-style pork ribs
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

Pat the meat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking then add in the ribs and brown on each side. This should take about 10 minutes but you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your pot.  

Add the onion to the pot along with some salt and cook until softened then pour the wine in there in deglaze the pot by scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon.  This is where you’re gonna get a bunch of flavor, embrace it. Cook the wine for a couple minutes until it starts to reduce into a glaze.

Add the ribs back into the pot along with their juices and the tomatoes. Bring this bad boy to a simmer then cover and reduce the heat to low so the whole thing is at a low, stead simmer. You’re going to cook this thing for like 1.5 to 2 hours, checking on it every 30 minutes or so and turning the ribs.  Be careful, your house is going to start smelling really good.

Once the meat is tender enough that it’s falling off the bone you need to say out loud: “now that’s what I’m talking about!” and use some tongs to remove the meat from the pot and put it on a cutting board.  Remove the bones and slice off the cartilage.  Then shred the meat with a fork or two and return it to the pot. Mix the meat in there and reduce the liquid to the level you want it for your sauce.  Season it with salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, whatever you want. Ladle that sauce onto some pasta or polenta or whatever and have at it. Know now that you are the master of the kitchen, you can braise meat and develop a sauce.  You’re the best and you know it.