Beef Short Ribs in Balsamic Jus
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Beef
Description
Fall-off-the-bone beef short ribs smothered in a dark rich and flavoursome balsamic jus. This will take a bit of time but it’s so worth it.
Ingredients
Short Ribs
1, 5 kg beef short ribs
Freshly ground salt and black pepper
1 Tbsp (15 ml) cooking oil
1 Tbsp (15 ml) butter
250 g streaky bacon, diced (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 stick celery, diced
1 tsp (5 ml) coriander seeds
1 tsp (5 ml) black pepper corns
1 tsp (5 ml) dried rosemary
4 juniper berries
4 whole cloves
1 C (250 ml) red wine – Shiraz is a good option
¼ C (60 ml) Old Brown sherry
2 Tbsp (30 ml) cake flour
3 Tbsp (45 ml) cold water
2 C (500 ml) beef stock
¼ C (60 ml) balsamic reduction
1 tsp (5 ml) dried tarragon
Roasted Vine Tomatoes
2 x 300 g punnets of vine tomatoes
Mash
4 large floury potatoes, peeled and boiled until tender
1 C (250 ml) basil leaves
½ C (125 ml) parsley
A handful of chives, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3–4 Tbsp (45-60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Short Ribs
Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
Season the beef with salt and black pepper.
In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil and butter and brown the meat in batches until the outsides are evenly caramelised. Remove and place into a medium-shallow baking dish.
Add the bacon to the saucepan and fry until crispy. When the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, remove and set aside.
Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, herbs and spices and sauté until fragrant.
Pour the wine and sherry a into saucepan with the aromatics and simmer until reduced by one third.
Mix the flour with the water to form a paste, add this to the sauce and stir/whisk vigorously to prevent any lumps from forming. Slowly add the stock, stirring all the while. Bring the liquid to the boil.
Pour the liquid over the short ribs, cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.
Remove the meat from the dish and strain the vegetables out of the cooking liquid. Reserve 1 C (250 ml) of the liquid and place in a small saucepan together with the balsamic reduction and tarragon; simmer for about 15 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Place the meat back into the baking dish together with the reserved fried bacon and pour the balsamic jus over. Cover with foil and keep warm in a low temperature oven (100 °C) until ready to serve – this will make the meat even more tender.
Roasted Vine Tomatoes
While preparing the jus, use the oven to roast the vine tomatoes.
Increase the temperature to 200 °C.
Place the tomatoes on a tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast for approximately 30 minutes.
Mash
Just before serving the beef ribs prepare the mash.
Mash the boiled potatoes until smooth, add the chopped herbs, garlic and olive oil and mix until well combined. Season to taste.
Serve the beef short ribs on a bed of mash, drizzled with balsamic jus with roasted vine tomatoes on the side.
