Let's Dish: The Fireplace’s Short Ribs

If you ever visited The Fireplace in Brookline, which just closed after 16 years, you probably loved the short ribs, which had a cult following. Hudson has an inside line to chef/owner Jim Solomon, and we asked him to part with his (super cozy) recipe.

Ingredients:

5#     Beef Short Ribs
1/4 c Vegetable oil
3       Large onions halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
3       Large carrots cut into 1/4 inch round slices
3       Ribs celery cut into 1/4 inch round slices
8       Cloves garlic crushed
3       Sprigs fresh thyme (roughly chopped) 
3       Sprigs of fresh rosemary (roughly chopped)
3       Bay leaves
2 c    Crushed canned tomatoes
1 TBS Tomato paste
1/4 c  Brown sugar
1/4 c  Balsamic vinegar
6 c    Veal stock (preferable) or beef stock or low sodium chicken stock
3 c    Red wine

Spice Rub:

4 TBS Garlic powder
4 TBS Ground coriander
2 TBS Onion powder
1 TBS Celery seeds
6 TBS Brown sugar
6 TBS Kosher salt
2 TBS Fresh ground black pepper

Procedure:

Pat ribs dry with paper towel.  Liberally sprinkle and spice rub on one side of the ribs to evenly coat.

Heat a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven (preferably) on high heat (otherwise a stainless steel pan is alright).  Add oil and allow to heat for a minute or until the oil gets hot and just begins to smoke.  Sear each side of the meat long enough to brown (approximately 10 minutes).

Remove ribs and set aside (refrigerate).  Pour off all but 2 TBS of fat.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees for later.

Reduce flame to medium and in the remaining oil add the onions, carrots and celery.  Slow cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are well caramelized (darker than golden brown). 

Add garlic, and herbs and continue cooking, occasionally stirring until garlic becomes soft.

Add tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for approximately fifteen more minutes or until the tomatoes become well caramelized (brownish).

Add brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and red wine and reduce until the liquid is mostly absorbed by the vegetables.

Add the stock and bring to a slow boil.  Then shut the flame off.

Return ribs to the pot or baking pan (fat side up).

Cover the pot with a top or tin foil.  Place in the pre-heated oven and cook for approximately two and a half hours.

Remove from the oven and check for doneness.

Note: Some like to stop the cooking when the meat is still slightly firm to allow for a beautifully presented piece of meat which clings to the bone.

I prefer to cook for approximately another half hour.  Less concerned about handsome ribs, I enjoy the more reduced and thus candied effect on the short rib even though the meat falls apart more easily.   

If serving on the same day then remove meat from the sauce and allow the ribs to cool for one hour. 

Skim any excess fat from the sauce and discard.  Reheat the sauce in a saucepan.  Serve sauce beside in a gravy boat or poured over ribs.

If serving the following day then refrigerate meat.  When the sauce is removed from the refrigerator the fat will have turned to a solid. It can then be easily scraped off and discarded.  Heat the defatted sauce.  Add the ribs to the sauce and cover.  Place in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. 

CHEF/OWNER: JIM SOLOMON