Beef short ribs are the ideal replacement for lamb shanks. Not only are they so tasty they are also quite affordable. Don’t be put off by the sinew and fat in the cut; they disappear when cooked in the wine and stock. The end result being a tender mouth watering dish that your friends and family will be talking about for a long time.
What you need
Olive oil
6 Thick cut short ribs (1.2 – 1.5 kg)
1 Large head of garlic cut in half horizontally
1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree
1 750ml bottle red wine
1 litre beef stock
150g bacon bits
250g button mushrooms cut into slices
Sea salt and black pepper
Chopped parsley to garnish
Feeds 4-6 people
The process
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Season the short ribs well. Pour some olive oil in a deep-sided roasting pan. Place the pan on a stove plate and brown the meat on all sides. Add the garlic and the tomato puree and heat for a minute or two. Pour the red wine into the pan and scrape the bits at the bottom loose. Boil for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in the beef stock and bring to the boil while continuously basting the ribs.
Cover the pan with foil and place into the pre-heated oven. Bake for 3-4 hours until the meat is tender and falling away from the bone. Keep basting the ribs every now and then. Be sure to check the liquid in the pan at the same time so that it does not cook dry. Just add water when needed.
About 10 minutes before the ribs are ready to come out, fry the bacon bits and mushrooms until tender. When the short ribs are ready, take out of the oven and place them on a serving dish. Place the pan with remaining gravy on the stove plate and add the mushrooms and bacon. Bring to the boil. You can add a small amount of maizena to thicken the sauce if it needs to. Serve the ribs topped with the gravy.
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