Short Rib Stew

Short Rib Stew ~ a delicious comfort food your family will adore.

I cannot begin to tell you how cold I am right now. The temperatures are in the negative zone and it's been windy. It was the perfect time for me to make Short Rib Stew. The short rib is probably one of my all time favorite cuts of beef. They need a good sear and then slow braising in liquid  for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours which makes them incredibly tender. It's definitely a meal you need more time to cook and so perfect for the weekends when you're planning to stay indoors, keep warm and enjoy quality time with the family.

This dish is all about flavor. These beef short ribs are so dang tasty and I think of them as tiny pot roasts.The short ribs are cut from the chuck and the plate. The chuck and the plate come from the top of the rib bones. According to my research a carcass of beef has 13 sets of ribs. Ribs 1 through 5 being chuck. Beef back ribs which I have never bought (although they would probably make good beef stock), are what is remaining after the rib roast is boned out.

When you are doing your vegetable prep, you just need a rough chop on all the vegetables. Do not use a lot of salt to begin with. Layer in a little bit at a time. Be sure to taste along the way for seasoning. The beef broth is sometimes salty so that is why I put in the caution about the salt. Also if you have fresh thyme you can certainly use it. Unfortunately I did not have fresh thyme, however dried thyme in slow braises works really well too.

• 4 meaty beef short ribs
• 1 tbsp. Crisco shortening (for searing)
• 5 medium red potatoes - washed and cut in quarters
• 4 large carrots - peeled and cut
• 2 stalks celery - peeled and cut
• 1 lrg. onion - peeled diced
• 1 pkg. crimini mushrooms- stems removed halved, quartered or left whole
• 2 cans beef broth or one 32 ounce box beef broth
• 2 cans water or 8 ounces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic (for the pot) plus extra on the meat
• onion powder to taste (for the meat)
• 1 tsp. Gravy Master
• cornstarch slurry (equal parts water and cornstarch for thickening)

1. Salt and pepper all sides of the short ribs along with some onion powder and granulated garlic.
2. Over moderately high heat, add in about 2 tbsp. of Crisco shortening and melt it down. Let the shortening heat up and add in the beef ribs. Brown on all sides.
3. When all of the ribs are seared, remove all but about a tablespoon of the accumulated fat and add in the celery, onions and carrots all at once. Reduce the heat to a medium low.
4. As the vegetables begin to soften and release their natural juices, keep stirring and loosen up all of the good bits from the bottom and sides of the pot that occurred during the searing process.
5. Add in the mushrooms and stir. Cook for about 30 seconds then de-glaze the pan with some of the water to help this process along.
6. Add the water, the Gravy Master and the beef broth to the pot.
7. At this point add in the thyme, salt and black pepper to taste and the granulated garlic powder.
8. Stir and add in the beef ribs in bone side up. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours until the ribs are really tender.
9. In the final 40 minutes of cooking add your potatoes. You don't want to add them too early and have them turn to mush.
10. When the ribs are fully cooked, remove them to a platter.  Skim off excess fat with a ladle or use a fat separator.  If you want a thicker sauce - more like a gravy, make a slurry of equal parts water and cornstarch. Turn the heat to medium high and bring the liquid up to a boil. Slowly add in the slurry, stirring until you achieve the thickness you desire.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Cost: approximately $18.10, feeding four for $4.52 each

These ribs are meaty, tender and delectable!

Keep your eye out for sale prices on the short ribs, the mushrooms and the broth you can save on the overall cost of this dinner. It is a complete dinner and one that you'll want to make over and over again.