Top Chef Stephanie Cmar’s Amazing Braised Short Ribs
These Braised Short Ribs are cooked in the oven until tender and oh so tasty. The recipe was created for us by the talented chef Stephanie Cmar, who you might remember from three seasons of Top Chef! This dish is meant to feed a crowd, and while it bakes for a long time, it’s incredibly easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- 7 pounds of short ribs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 large Spanish onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ounce ginger, peeled and minced
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- Zest from one large orange, cut into large strips
- ½ cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- ¼ cup pine nuts, plus more for garnish
- 2 cups prunes
- 2 cups ruby port
- 2 cups of California red wine
- Beef broth
- ¼ cup canola oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat the canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the short ribs dry, and season with salt and pepper. Add the pan in batches, taking care, not to crowd. Brown on all sides, turning every 2-3 minutes. Remove from Dutch oven and repeat until all short ribs are browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and ginger to the hot Dutch oven and sauté, frequently stirring until the onions begin to get golden brown, about three minutes. Add the short ribs back to the Dutch oven and the mushrooms, orange zest, parsley, thyme, pine nuts, and prunes.
Pour the port and wine over the ribs and add additional beef broth until everything is just covered. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 2 ½ hours or until the meat is tender and falls off the bone. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with additional pine nuts and parsley and serve immediately.
Notes:
This large-batch recipe feeds a crowd. You can always make it a day ahead, refrigerate, and skim off any accumulated fat before reheating. Freeze any leftovers, tightly wrapped, for up to three months.
