short ribs: an exercise in ridiculousness...

It all started the week of Thanksgiving.  I had the week off from work, and not a whole heck of a lot to do.  So, being the person I am, I end up on the couch, flipping between the Discovery Channel and the Food Network, when all of a sudden, Guy Fieri is yelling at me.  "Check out these short ribs!  They are OFF THE HOOK!"  I am thoroughly entranced.  They certainly did look off the hook, and I kind of wanted them.  

But being the week of Thanksgiving, turkey was really the only thing in my immediate future.  No complaints there.  But the short ribs kind of hung on my mind.  It certainly didn't help matters that the Food Network decide to show the same damn holiday special every other day for the following three weeks.  

So yesterday, I said WTF.  In the morning I looked at a bunch of different recipes, took what I thought the best parts of each one were, and made myself a shopping list.  After hitting up Papa Fitz's for lunch, I made a quick stop at Shaw's and then headed up to McKinnon's for the all important meat run.  Two packs of short ribs: check.  The following is an account of what might be the greatest thing to have ever come out of my oven:

8 short ribs

4 strips bacon

1 onion (chopped)

3 carrots (chopped)

3 celery stalks (chopped)

4 garlic cloves (chopped)

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)

rosemary & thyme sprigs

2 tbsp honey

1 bottle beer

2 cups beef stock

1 tbsp crushed red pepper

salt & pepper

EVOO (once around pot)

Preheat oven to 350.  In a heavy dutch oven, combine oil & bacon.  Cook the bacon until fat is rendered and then remove.  Season the short ribs with salt & pepper, and add to the pot in batches.  Crowding = bad.  Six side sear the ribs and set aside.  Add the veggies to the pot and cook until softened.  Add the tomato paste, beer, stock & honey, and stir until combined.  Add the ribs back to the pot, along with the rosemary & thyme.  The liquid should be about 1/2 to 3/4 up the ribs.  Loosely cover the pot and stick it in the oven.  Now go do something for 3 hours.  When you're done, take out your pot-o-heaven.  With a pair of tongs, grab hold of one of the bones, give it a pull, and you'll notice that there is no meat on it.  Absolutely ridic!

I ended up roasting some potatoes, also, which I served the whole thing over.  I assume you could just as well put it over rice or pasta.  Speaking of pasta.....

So, after I was done eating last night, I shredded up the remaining meat, and then took the old hand blender to the stew (or whatever the hell you call it).  Then tonight, I took the blended liquid, the shredded meat, and a half can of crushed tomatoes, put all that in a pot together and simmered that while I cooked some rigatoni.  Definitely a good way to handle the leftovers.  And now I have my lunches taken care of for the week.