I received a selection of Balletto Vineyard wines to create this short ribs recipe. All opinions are honest and my own.
For whatever reason, it took me a long time to try short ribs. I would see delicious recipes with gorgeous photos that were mouth-watering but I was afraid to make them myself. There is just something about short ribs that are intimidating to me. For some time now, I’ve been watching food shows and reading recipes about short ribs. I felt it was FINALLY time to work on a recipe, especially since I had a great bottle of Balletto Vineyards Pinot Noir AND short ribs were on sale at my supermarket. I set out to make wine braised short ribs using some of my family’s favorite ingredients.
You may remember my recent post supporting #SonomaStrong for rosemary roasted Cornish hens. Well, Balletto Vineyards is also a Sonoma winery located in the heart of the Russian River Valley. While I received two varietals, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the Pinot Noir was the perfect pairing for this dish. The Balletto Vineyards 2015 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir has notes of cherry and a bit of earthiness. While I tasted these notes, as they were described in the winery’s website, I also got notes of pepper. This wine is easily drinkable, although a bit complex, with 14% alcohol, which is common for a Pinot Noir.
A few notes about the recipe. Don’t skip searing the ribs. Searing brings more flavor plus it leaves those brown bits of goodness on the pan which you deglaze with the wine. Taste the broth before you pot the Dutch oven in the oven. Make sure the seasonings are to your tastes. My family loves mashed potatoes and these short ribs are delicious with them. You could also serve butter noodles or grits.
Ingredients
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 beef short ribs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 cup Balletto Vineyards Pinot Noir
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Salt and pepper the ribs, then dredge them in the flour. Set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until completely crispy and all the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and set aside.
- Add the olive oil to the pan with the bacon fat and raise the heat to high. Brown the ribs on all sides. Remove the ribs and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, garlic and onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the browned bits. Add the broth, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Add the ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add the rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid. Finally, add the bacon.
- Put on a lid on the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven. Cook until the ribs are fork-tender and falling off the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven. Remove ribs to a plate. In a measuring cup combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the pan and stir to thicken the juices. Add the ribs back to the pan and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes with the lid on before serving.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, butter noodles or grits.
