Braised Short Ribs

Steps

• Prep: Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
• Sear: Pat the ribs dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over high heat and sear the ribs on all sides until deeply browned. Remove to a plate.
  ⏱ Start 10 min timer
• Braise: Cook the onion, carrots, and celery in the pot until softened, then add the garlic and tomato paste and cook a minute more.
  ⏱ Start 6 min timer
• Braise: Pour in the wine if using and let it reduce by half, scraping up the fond, then add the stock and bay leaves. Return the ribs to the pot, cover, and transfer to the oven.
  ⏱ Start 200 min timer

  Tip: As with pot roast, this is a low, steady simmer for hours — the temperature that actually matters here is time-at-heat for the collagen, not a single safe-minimum reading.

• Chill: Cool completely, then refrigerate the whole pot, ribs and liquid together, overnight.
  ⏱ Start 480 min timer

  Tip: This isn't just for convenience — the fat solidifies into a liftable layer on top, and the meat keeps absorbing flavour from the liquid as it sits.

• Defat: Lift off and discard the solidified fat layer from the top of the chilled liquid.

  Tip: This is far more thorough than skimming fat off a hot braise, and it doesn't take any of the gelatin-rich liquid with it the way skimming can.

• Reheat: Gently reheat the ribs in the defatted liquid on the stovetop or in a low oven until warmed through, without letting it return to a hard simmer.
  ⏱ Start 20 min timer

  Tip: A hard simmer at this stage can push already-tender meat past done into stringy — gentle heat only.