I don’t know about the rest of the world, but in my hometown, English-cut ribs are very popular. It’s basically flanken cut in the wrong direction, so like flanken, it becomes soft and tender.
Ingredients
1 bottle red wine*
2 Tbsp oil
6 English cut or short ribs, trimmed
salt, for sprinkling
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 cloves garlic, peeled
8 large shallots, peeled, trimmed, rinsed, and halved
2 medium carrots peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 stalks celery, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 Tbsp grated fresh horseradish (optional, but recommended)
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped
6 sprigs Italian parsley
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 quarts chicken or beef broth
*You can use Barkan Pinot Noir, an affordable wine with good flavors to enhance the ribs not not much oakiness or tannin that won't translate as well when cooking.
Directions
1. Pour wine into a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and allow it to boil until it cooks down by half. Remove from the heat.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large roasting pan large enough to hold 6 ribs. Season the ribs all over with salt and black pepper. When the oil is hot, place the ribs into the pot and sear for 4–5 minutes on each side, until well browned.
3. Transfer the browned ribs to a plate. Remove all but 1 Tbsp of fat from the pot; lower the heat to medium, and toss in the vegetables, herbs, and white pepper. Brown lightly for 5–7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to blend.
4. Add reduced wine, browned ribs, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil; cover the pot tightly, and slide it into the oven to braise for about 2½ hours, or until the ribs are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Every 30 minutes or so, lift the lid and skim and discard any fat that has bubbled up to the surface.
5. Carefully transfer the meat to a serving platter with a lip and keep warm. Boil the pan liquid until it thickens and reduces to approximately 1 quart. Season with salt and pepper and pass through a fine-mesh strainer discard the solids.
6. Pour the sauce over the meat, serve and enjoy.
Herzog Wine Pairing:
Red meat cooked in a rich sauce loves a bold red wine. Binyamina Merlot will work great here.
