Braised Beef Short Ribs Provencal

Some days I just want something beefy. Something really hardy. Beef Short Ribs are a good way to go on the cheap. It is a tougher cut of meat that needs a long slow cooking, either stewing or braising to make it fork tender.

Beef Short Ribs are a good cut to work with. Bone-in when you can get them as that adds even more flavor to the final dish. The added boner to the deal, pun intended is that if you like the marrow you have a nice bit in each bone.

This recipe is a combination of a couple of Beef Burgundy recipes. French food isn't always about pissy saucing and fancy prep taking hours. A large majority I have found to be very simple for both categories. Provence is in the southern part of France where they can grow citrus and you find it in a lot of their cooking. Ditto things like tarragon and thyme.

The end result is a dish very close to what I had for lunch one day in Paris last year. The only thing I have not been able to duplicate or find a recipe for is the lentil stew that the Mono Prix Cafe served along side their braised beef short ribs. Someday maybe?

Braised Beef Short Ribs Provencal

• 4 - 4 1/2 lbs Beef Short Ribs
• 1 c all purpose flour
• 1/4 c Montreal Brand Steak Seasoning
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 c carrot
• 1T chopped garlic
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 T tarragon
• 1 T Thyme
• 1 T parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can beef broth (12 oz)
• 2 c +/- red wine
• Salt
• Pepper
• 6T butter
• olive oil

Mix flour and steak seasoning. Dredge beef short rib through flour and coat well. In fry pan over medium-high heat add a couple of tablespoons olive oil and 2T butter. (Oil keeps butter from burning). Add beef short ribs to hot pan. Sear each side well. Do in batchs so the ribs get a good seared crust.

Put seared short ribs on platter while cooking up the others. Reserve the unused flour mixture. When done with the searing deglaze pan with 1C wine. Scrape up all the bits from the bottom.
Set pan and all the bits aside.

While searing the beef in heavy large dutch oven heat over medium flame. Coarse chop onion. Cut carrots into 1/2" thick cubes. Add 2T oil and 2 T butter. Add carrots and onion. Add tarragon, thyme and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir often until soft and onion is beginning to caramelize., about 10-15 minutes. Add garlic, orange zest and cook 1 minute, being careful to not burn the garlic. Deglaze pan with the beef broth, scraping up the brown bits.

Add the reserved beef ribs to the dutch oven include any juices that collected on the bottom of the bowl. Add the wine from the deglazed skillet. Add another cup of so of wine to the dutch oven to just cover the beef short ribs. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed.

Bring to a boil then cover with the lid. Reduce heat to simmer and 1 1/2-2 hours. (Or put in 300F oven for same time period).

At end of cooking period take 2T of the reserved flour seasoning mixture and 2T butter. Cut butter into the flour with a fork to make a beurre manie'. Add the beurre manie in little bits and stir in well to make a thick gravy.

Serve with small boiled herbed potato or mashed potato on the side.

Use just enough oil to coat the vegies and stir often so they cook evenly. Salt at this stage helps the vegies sweat out their liquid and caramelize faster.

It is really important to get a good sear and crust on the ribs as that color is flavor.

You get the idea...damn new camera phone is extra sensitive to jiggles but you get the idea.