Click the icon in the left sidebar to see all related posts.

Here we go… it’s what we’ve all been waiting for…the meat!  I love beef short ribs.  They have so much flavor and are actually pretty easy to make despite what you might think.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of chopping and they take hours to cook, but everything goes in one pot and cooks to perfection.  Is there anything better than meat so tender it falls right off the bone?  I didn’t think so.  Now, picture that with a little chocolatey goodness and you pretty much have the best meal ever!  There were a lot of mmmms from me and my husband as we tested this meal for the party.

This is really a great go-to recipe to keep on hand.  It is perfect for entertaining or a Sunday evening meal.  And don’t tell my dinner guests, but short ribs are super cheap!  The recipe is very versatile, so don’t feel like you have to stick completely to the ingredients list.  I doubled the amount of celery and carrots from the original recipe because I wanted more vegetables.  If you’d like your sauce a little more saucy, then feel free to cut both of those back to 1/4 cup.  Also, if you’re making this one weekend and don’t have chocolate on hand or just don’t want a chocolatey meal (heaven forbid) then just omit the two chocolate ingredients.  It will still be a perfectly tasty meal without them because HELLO, you have meat so tender it is falling off the bone!!

Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate & Rosemary
Adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2006

1/4 cup diced pancetta (about 1 1/2 ounces)
6 pounds bone-in short ribs
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dry red wine
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups chopped drained canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons shaved or grated bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Heat heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add pancetta and saute until crisp.  Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper.  Working in batches, brown ribs in drippings in pot over medium-high heat until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.  Transfer to plate.  Add onions and next 4 ingredients to pot.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Add wine.  Boil uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes.  Add broth, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pancetta.  Return ribs to pot, cover partially, and simmer 1 1/2 hours.  Uncover and simmer until rib meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours longer.

Transfer ribs to plate; discard bay leaf and thyme stems (herbs will have fallen off stems during cooking process).  Spoon fat from surface of sauce.  Boil sauce until beginning to thicken, about 8 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add chocolate, cocoa powder, and rosemary; stir until chocolate melts.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Return ribs to pot.  Simmer to re-warm, about 5 minutes. 

Serves 6 to 8.