French Friday with Dorie: Short Ribs in Red Wine and Port

FALLING-OFF-THE-BONES TENDER RIBS

I utterly and entirely love every holiday!  We decorate, make too much food, and anticipate these regular reasons for great family times.  We count birthdays, anniversaries, gotcha days, special achievements, and “real holidays” as our holidays to celebrate.  Almost every week or two finds a celebrated holiday at our house.  Sometimes we just make up holidays when needed.

This week we enjoyed President’s Day, and even though owning our own business dictates that we must work even on these special days, with a little planning we enjoyed another family time as we honored leaders of our country while feasting on FFwD’s Short Ribs.  With just a little planning our holidays come together with specialness.  The timing of the ribs recipe was perfect as they can be cooked to perfection in 2 sessions, making way for work, readying the house, baking desserts, and all the other things that must get done.

The desert was blessed, over the weekend, with a gentle rain which yielded on Monday to fresh air, azure skies, green lawns, and an invigorating sweetness in our arid valley.   These kinds of days charge my batteries and get the creative juices flowing.   Since I choose not to have alcohol in my house, I had to re-invent this ribs recipe that calls for both red wine and port as significant ingredients.

RIBS CHILLED OVERNIGHT ARE PUT BACK INTO THE POT FOR SLOW ON LOW BRAZING

The ribs are best cooked by braising which is a pot-roasting method used for tougher cuts of meats.  The meat is first browned and then cooked in a liquid in a covered container, as we say, “Slow and Low” for an extended period of time.  By “pot roasting” inexpensive cuts of meat, one can create a fabulously flavorful  meal resulting in meats that are fork tender, at only a fraction of the cost of the better cuts of meat.

The ribs, which can be beef or pork, (the recipe calls for beef, but we chose pork ribs for our re-created recipe...they looked meatier and fresher at the market) were first seared at a high temperature and were then placed in a Dutch oven with our liquid creation.  We used crushed tomatoes, which replaced the acid in the wine, to break down these tougher cuts of meat resulting in a great flavor and tender texture.  After braising, the liquid was used to make a sauce that is exceptional on mashed potatoes, as suggested by Dorie, or rice, used in our meal.

First I seared all the ribs, and then they were added to my tomato based liquid.  To jazz up this liquid I added diced onion, minced ginger and garlic, diced red pepper, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and from my trees, I added orange and tangerine juices for more acid and also for a fresh taste.

I then placed my covered pot into a 325^ oven where the ribs braised for 3 hours.  The pot was removed from the oven, cooled, and then the ribs were removed from the tomato mixture.  The ribs and “mixture"  were  refrigerated separately.  This way all the fat comes to the top and can be discarded and I can complete my ribs in a second session.  This also works well for my busy schedule.

This BBQ/braising method of cooking reminds Hubby of a favorite dish from his 2 years in Singapore...char siu.  It is the same cut of meat, cooked in a similar fashion, a few different spices and red colorings are used, and the meat results in a delicious flavor and texture.

THE BBQ SAUCE SIMMERS

I’m including my BBQ/Braising sauce recipe for a daughter who  loves it!...now she can just copy it from this post.

1 gallon crushed tomatoes
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste (about 1 Tablespoon salt)
½ Cup brown sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed orange/tangerine juices

After searing 10 pounds of  ribs on both sides, I put them into a large Dutch oven and smothered them with the above ingredients.  I started with the oven at 400^ for 30 minutes and then reduced the temperature to 325^ for 3 hours.

#1 SON STOPPED BY AND COULDN'T WAIT...SO I GAVE HIM A MAN SIZE PORTION

WITH ADDED SAUCE FOR HIS MIDNIGHT SNACK  

(At this point the ribs are cooked and can be eaten, however I braised them a second time, in the finished sauce which added more flavor and the meat literally all fell off the bones...juicy and delicious!)

Then I took the ribs out of the oven and refrigerated them separately from the sauce.  The next day I removed the fat that had accumulated at the top, and placed the ribs back into the Dutch oven and into a 300^ oven while I prepared the sauce. 

 I pureed the sauce (which now has the juices from cooking the meat)  with an immersion blender and then added:

1 (additional) Cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon chili powder
3 Tablespoons prepared mustard
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Note:  depending on one's taste, hot sauce or spices could be added, or other veges/spices per personal preference.

The sauce simmered slowly for 1 hour.

About ½ this sauce was poured over the pre-cooked ribs and reheated.  I kept the pot cooking all afternoon until dinner.  When we opened the pot, the meat was falling off the bones, all the flavors had come together and it was wonderful!

The other ½ of the sauce was heated and used to pour over the ribs which were piled onto plates of rice making a mouth-watering main course for our meal.

          NOT A PRETTY PICTURE, BUT THIS MEAT-FALLING-OFF-THE-BONES IS MIGHTY GOOD!   (Right out of the pot, before additional sauce added)

Like some who need gluten-free, and some watch out for extra sugar or calories, we get creative and adjust for any alcohol additions.  Most recipes can be easily adjusted, but this ribs recipe needed a total redo for my family.  We did well and I was proud to serve this splendid dish.  I am excited to see how our meal compares to all or yours!

Happy Presidents’ Day to you all!!!