By Kira Wills, Guest Blogger, Foodies Like Us saturday-chef.blogspot.com

There is a time in every cook’s life when they want to create a gastronomic masterpiece—a dish that is not only intoxicating in flavor, but a beautifully-plated feast for the eyes. As a relatively new food blogger, I wanted to create a delectable calling card for my growing culinary confidence and skills.

Months ago, I heard about braised short ribs and immediately had to prepare them because: 1) braising is my favorite cooking technique and 2) I love ribs, and even have a Memphis-style spice rub for the baby back variety that is a protected secret.

I found a promising recipe that required almost two days of searing, braising, waiting, and reducing. I tried it with passable results. I toyed with it a few more times and, while the ribs were decent, it wasn’t as profoundly delightful as I knew it could be.

Then I got the February 2010 issue of “Bon Appetit”, and the cover recipe was gooey grilled cheese made with braised short ribs. The recipe moved the braise from the oven to the stovetop (SMART!) and reduced the braising liquid by half (AWESOME!). Thus, I did what any enterprising foodie would do, and combined the new recipe with seasonings from others and my own touches. The result was a dish that was nothing short of phenomenal. These ribs are tender, rich, flavorful and shutter-enducingly awesome. It’s restaurant-worthy fare in your own home.

It is honestly the best thing I’ve ever made, and even had me contemplating culinary school because I was so proud.

Be forewarned—if you make this for friends or family, there will be no leftovers—it barely serves four— and they will ask you to make it again, repeatedly. Be prepared.

Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 pounds or 8 to 10 short ribs
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Dried Thyme
6 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
½ to 1 medium onion (and/or leeks), chopped
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally in half-inch coins
2 bay leaves
1 ½ cup of red wine (Chianti is best)
½ cup port
2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
1 to 3 cups of low sodium beef broth

Season all sides of short ribs generously with salt, pepper and dried thyme. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot, add ribs, fat side down and brown on all meaty sides. NOTE: This process can take awhile, so I usually chop my vegetables while the meat is browning as not to rush it. You should probably work in batches of 4 to 5 ribs each.

When ribs are browned, set aside on a plate. Drain off all of all of the oil and drippings from pan except for about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Toss onions into pot over medium heat and sweat until fragrant and they beginning to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add carrots, fresh thyme sprigs, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. I use the edge of my spoon and bruise the thyme sprigs to release more flavor.

Add wine and port to pot. Stir to combine, then allow to cook until it begins to boil lightly for about 3 to 5 minutes before adding the broth. Let mixture come to a boil again and cook for 5 to 7 minutes to concentrate flavor. Taste mixture. It should be flavorful, but mild and well-balanced. If anything it is not to your liking, add more wine, port or broth. Adjust seasonings as you like.

Place ribs back into pan, bone side up. Nestling them together can be tricky, but try to get them into one layer. Broth should just cover the meat. If it doesn’t, add more liquids. Cover and simmer on low for one hour.

Check ribs. Bones may have loosened or fallen off completely. This is good! Keep them in the pot. If you can turn or flip the ribs, go ahead, just make sure bone side is still up. If the liquid has reduced a lot, add more broth. You also may want to check and adjust seasonings, sparingly. Cover and simmer for another 90 minutes.

NOTE: We’ve now entered what I call the Beef Stealer phase of this long process. This is when the house smells of delectable simmering meat, and people, like parents or even neighbors, come out of the woodwork to hover around the pot. They say they thought you left the pot on and IT’S GOING TO BURN! So they’ll check it and taste it for you. To save it. you must guard the pot. Use your chef’s knife if you have to. The finished product will be worth it. But you, The Chef, can steal all the beef you want.

After the longest 90 minutes of your culinary life, ribs are done and braised. Taste them. They should be tremor-worthy good…so buttery soft, you can cut them with a fork. If they are still chewy, braise for 30 more minutes.

This is generally when you can stop for the day and put them away once the ribs have cooled—ribs in one container and the liquid and a few bones in another. I know it’s hard, but do this and your heart will thank you (If you do not want to wait until the next day, pour cooled braising liquid into a plastic container and freeze until fat solidifies. Scrape off, discard and continue).

The next day:

Remove ribs from the fridge. Preheat oven to 400.

Open gravy container. Here you will find an alarming layer of fat on top of the gravy. Skim off with a spoon and discard. Add the rest of the gravy to a pan over medium low-heat. Thin out with a bit of beef broth and reduce for about 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Place ribs onto a cookie sheet and pop into the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, turning over midway through cooking. This not only will reheat them, but it will add a light crust to the outside while leaving them succulent and juicy on the inside.

Finally, finally, serve with roasted potatoes. Drizzle with gravy.