ad hoc at home #4: braised short ribs

Who can resist braised short ribs on any five-star menu? Not only was I sure that the braised short ribs recipe in Thomas Keller's ad hoc at home would be oh-so-good in and of itself, these short ribs were the precursor to two other delicious-sounding recipes. The only problem was that making just the braised short ribs themselves was a two-day process, presuming you make your beef stock from scratch as prescribed.

It was daunting, but it proved a great excuse to invest in the Le Creuset Dutch oven, and I had just spotted one in Cassis (a Sur La Table exclusive rich, purple color) that I just had to have.

Before we get to the Dutch oven, though, day one starts with making the beef stock. Making beef stock Keller-style starts with roasting "meaty" beef bones on high heat for 45 minutes to develop color and flavor. Then there is 6 more hours of simmering and continuous skimming (off fat and impurities for a clear broth), adding charred onion early on, then adding roasted vegetables and herbs for the last hour. Finally, a little rest, twice straining (second time through cheesecloth), and voila, I have a deep, rich beef broth that turns into gelatinous goodness when refrigerated. Phew! Day one was a long, exhausting day on my feet. I need to get a lighter ladle if I'm going to do more marathon skimming.

Now back to the beautiful, brand new Dutch oven. Day two starts with many of the same vegetables and herbs that finished off the beef stock - leeks, carrots, onions, thyme, bay leaves - to flavor the wine sauce, as well as shallots, smashed garlic cloves and mushrooms. It was quite a colorful and fragrant combination:

Per instruction, I added a full bottle of very drinkable red wine, and let it simmer for half an hour while I seasoned, dredged in flour and seared off the short ribs. I added more vegetables, built a cheesecloth nest, laid the short ribs in the nest, topped it off with the beef stock, covered it with a parchment lid, and popped it into the preheated oven.

Two hours later, I strained and simmered the sauce while the beef rested, and then served the braised short rib with a simple salad and plain rice. I, my husband, and a few of our closest friends, were rewarded for my two-day effort with undoubtedly the best short ribs we had ever tasted.

That is correct, they were better than any restaurant short ribs we had before. They were so good, I exerted the effort again a couple weeks later, making sure to braise extra short ribs to use a second day. If I was going to put in two days, I was going to get two dinners out of it!