When it comes to cooking beef, we basically have two choices; dry heat cooking, such as grilling, broiling and roasting and moist heat cooking, such as braising and stewing. As the Executive Chef for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association I get to eat my fair share of beef from steaks and roasts to meatballs and meatloaf. It’s all good; however if I was to choose my favorite beef dish, it would hands down be braised short ribs. And this is the time of year to enjoy this slow cooked dish.

It is not only the tender succulent beef I love, but the whole process from chopping vegetables to monitoring the heat level as the ribs slowly simmer. The method and technique is classic French and not much has changed since the days of Escoffier.

First I clean my aromatics – celery, onions and carrots. After the vegetables are washed, I do a rough dice and create the classic ratio of mirepoix, which is two parts onions to one part celery and carrots. I then make my bouquet garni, which consists of a piece of celery, bay leaf, parsley, thyme leaves and whole black peppercorns.

The types of vegetables I add depends on the mood I’m in. Mushrooms however make the cut every time as they will help boost the umami in the dish. Once my mise en place is complete, it is time to start the braising process. I use a Le Creuset Dutch oven. Great heat distribution and the best part is, it is easy to clean.

Step one is to heat the pan until it gets hot and then add a small amount of olive oil. Place the beef in the pan and brown the pieces on all sides. This is a really important step as we are caramelizing the beef and are adding flavors to the beef that are not intrinsic to the beef itself. This process is known as the Mallard Reaction; named after the French scientist who discovered it.

Once the beef is browned I remove it to a platter. You will notice that some browned bits of beef are stuck to the bottom of the pan and that is OK and in fact is good; those bits will add even more flavor to the dish. I add a little more oil and then place my mirepoix into the pan and cook it until the vegetables are translucent. Next I add red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and lift those brown bits off the bottom. The pot is kept at a boil to reduce the wine down to au sec or until there is almost none left. While that is happening I sauté my mushrooms with garlic in a separate pan; you get more flavor from the mushrooms this way.

Now it’s time to return the beef back to the pan along with the mushroom mixture and the bouquet garni. From here I add veal stock and a little more wine. Bring the mixture to a boil and skim any fat solids that have risen to the top and reduce heat to low cover and simmer gently for about 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. I will occasionally skim any fat that rises to the top as the beef is simmering. At this point you can add a small can of tomato paste if you like; this will give the cooking liquid some body and will also help boost the umami in the dish.

Near the end of the cooking process you can add green beans, peas and corn if you desire. I usually serve with red-skinned garlic mashed potatoes and of course with a nice hearty red wine.

Bon Appétit

Chef Dave