Ingredients
4 short ribs, bone-in (about 1.5–2 kg total)
2 bottles red wine (something you’d drink, not cooking wine)
30 ml vegetable oil
Plain flour, for dredging (seasoned with salt and pepper)
4 shallots, peeled and halved
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped (2–3 cm pieces)
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 small leek, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 L good-quality beef stock (homemade or store-bought)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Celeriac Purée
1 medium celeriac, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
500 ml milk
Salt, to taste
Knob of butter, for finishing
Method
1. Reduce the wine
Pour the red wine into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
Reduce by half until slightly syrupy — it should taste sweet, not sharp. Set aside.
2. Brown the short ribs
Preheat your oven to 140°C (275°F).
Pat the ribs dry, season well, dredge lightly in seasoned flour.
Heat oil in a heavy, ovenproof pot (like a Dutch oven).
Sear ribs on all sides until deeply browned. Remove and set aside.
3. Sauté the vegetables
Tip off excess fat, leaving about 1 tbsp in the pan.
Add shallots first — cook over medium heat until lightly caramelised.
Then add carrots, celery, leek, and garlic.
Cook until golden brown, scraping up any fond from the bottom.
Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Deglaze and braise
Add the reduced wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the base clean.
Return the short ribs (and any juices) to the pot.
Pour over the beef stock — enough to almost cover the ribs.
Add bay leaves and thyme.
Cover tightly with a cartouche.
Transfer to the oven and braise for 3½–4 hours, until tender and falling off the bone.
5. Rest and strain
Let the ribs cool in the liquid for 30–45 minutes before removing them gently.
Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve — discard the veg.
Skim some fat if you like, but leave a little for richness.
6. Finish the sauce
Simmer the strained liquid until slightly thickened and glossy.
Whisk in mustard and a splash of vinegar to balance the sweetness.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.
7. Make the celeriac purée
Simmer the celeriac and potatoes in milk with a pinch of salt until soft.
Blend with a knob of butter until smooth and glossy.
To Serve
Spoon a bed of celeriac purée onto each plate.
Place short rib on top.
Spoon the glossy red wine sauce over and around.
Optional: garnish with braised celery or fresh herbs.
I can't stand metal utensils being used in a pan with a coated lining.
His “beef stock” just looks like Demiglace 😅
I was just about to look for a new short rib recipe. When leaving the meat to rest in the liquid, can the heat be left on low without drying the meat?
Genuine question – I love wine, so it’s not a problem for me but if I’m instructing someone who doesn’t, how would I guide their selection? Just say “nothing too cheap and crap and looks like you might drink it if you liked wine”?
What does the cartouche do?
It’s crazy British chefs can pronounce shallot close to the French pronunciation but can’t pronounce taco or tortilla
It would have been helpful to say what kind of red wine is was
And we all love a moist finish
"something you wouldn't mind drinking" oh yeah I wouldn't mind at all 😅
I worked for Boulud as an assistant and then captain at Daniel in NYC. This was from 98 to 2000. Great boss! Great guy! He took his work and his restaurant seriously, but he never took himself seriously. He kept his ego in check, in perspective, in regards to when celebrities came in or he was given a bunch of praise. He is a down to earth blue collar guy wo cares about his staff and made sure that they got paid well, both front and back of the house.
Very rare for an industry where egos run amok. For all those cooks and chiefs of cooks out there, realize this: all your creations are going to turn to sh*t. Literally. It's just food. You're not creating art or sending a man into space.