Fork-tender Braised Beef Short Ribs

When the temperature drops it's time to heat up the oven and fill your home with the mouth-watering aroma of beef short ribs braised in a rich beef and red wine stock. This is a perfect dish to share with good friends on a long winter night. Here's the recipe... Braised Short Ribs vegetable oil 6-8 beef short ribs, each 8-10 oz 1 large onion, diced 2 Tbsp minced garlic 3 cups dry red wine 6 cups beef stock 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 Tbsp dried) 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1 Tbsp dried) 2-3 bay leaves salt + pepper to taste Preheat oven to 325° F. Heat a large pan over high heat and add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Rinse short ribs in cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Season ribs on all sides with salt and coarse ground black pepper. Once oil is very hot and almost smoking, carefully add ribs to pan and brown on all sides, about 4-5 minutes total. Remove ribs and place in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Turn heat on the saute pan to medium and add onions and garlic - there should be enough melted fat from the browned ribs. If not, add a touch more oil to pan. Saute onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally and being careful not to burn the garlic. Now deglaze the pan with the red wine, making sure to scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (these add tremendous flavor) as the wine cooks and reduces by half; this should take 8-10 minutes. Add herbs to the wine as it gently boils. Now stir in the beef stock, maple syrup, and vinegar, and bring to a boil, then ladle or pour the hot liquid over the ribs. The liquid should ALMOST cover the ribs. If not, add sufficient water. Cover with tin foil if using a roasting pan, or the lid of a Dutch oven and braise for 4 hours. The meat will be fork-tender and delicious. Enjoy!