To me, the best part about a cold and snowy day, is the fact that I get to stay inside and cook all day long. Granted, it’s nice to shovel snow and be out in the cold but, I’d say slow cooking some beef short ribs would be the way to go. You can cook short ribs a variety of ways, however, without my Dutch oven I’d be lost.
Cola Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
3-4 lbs of beef short ribs (bone-in).
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup of flour
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup of Coke Cola
2 cups of beef stock
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup red wine
6 pieces of pancetta, diced
Couple garlic gloves, diced
2 bay leaves
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 350 F
Once the Dutch oven or similar cooking vessel is on the stove add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn on heat to a medium high. Add diced pancetta and cook for about 4 minutes. Take your short ribs and roll them around in the flour ensuring they are completely coated with flour. When pan is ready, start searing the short ribs. You can assume 3-4 minutes per side or until there is a nice crust on them. Once seared, remove short ribs and place on separate plate. Keep the Dutch oven on the stove and quickly pour in the red wine. This will deglaze the bottom of the pan and continue holding the great beef flavor left in the pan. Add chopped carrot, celery, and garlic.Cook for 5 minutes until they are cooked down a bit. Add Coke Cola, beef stock, and water. Place short ribs into pot and cook everything at nice boil for about 20 minutes. Add bay leaves, salt pepper, and honey.
Cover and place into oven for 3 hours.
Remove and serve.
Ideally, short ribs can be served over mashed potatoes or polenta.
Denver Food Guys 