Weekly Recipe: Red Wine Braised Short Rib By Oaken Bistro And Bar

While it’s great to have a quick and easy one-pot meal in your arsenal for weekday dinners, some occasions call for something a little more sophisticated and sensual.

For those nights, Chef Christian Alejandro of Oaken Bistro and Bar has just a red wine-braised short rib recipe that will impress your loved ones and seep into your dreams.

"This recipe was inspired by one from Auguste Escoffier, a 19th century chef, restaurateur and culinary writer from France most famous for popularizing updated traditional French cooking methods,” chef Alejandro says. “The fundamental techniques employed in this recipe incorporate his teachings and culinary style to offer the diner a mouthwatering, indulgent experience with each and every bite."

See also: Padma Lakshmi Shares Her Favorite Cooking Staples From Around the World

At Oaken, chef Alejandro takes inspiration from the woodlands that surround Lake Forest, using local and seasonal ingredients to create a menu that moves from light bites to hearty entrees, paired with an herbal cocktail menu.

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This recipe brings all that herbaceous goodness to life with a flavorful bouquet garni that imbues the red-wine marinade with a complex flavor that will tickle the tongue and enliven the senses.

Following these step-by-step instructions will be a grand lesson in technique, but you certainly don’t have to be a master to follow it through. Chef Alejandro has rendered it fool-proof for home cooks of any level. Just do as he says, and you’ll be serving an outstanding entree in no time!

Red Wine Braised Short Rib

Ingredients:

Marinade

• 1 bottle red wine
• 2 carrot grams carrots, cut into a 1-inch dice
• 2 leeks, cut into 1-inch dice
• 1 onion, cut into a 1-inch dice
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 bouquet garni (ingredients below)

Bouquet Garni

• 8 Italian parsley sprigs
• 2 rosemary spring
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 each peppercorns

Short Ribs

• 6 pieces boneless short ribs, 7 oz each
• Canola oil, for browning meat
• Kosher salt
• All-purpose flour
• 2 qt grams roasted veal stock
• 1 qt light chicken stock
• Butter
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Sel gris
• Chives, for garnish

Directions:

Marinade

1. Bring the red wine to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat.
2. Add the mirepoix and bouquet garni. Continue to simmer the marinade until the flame from the alcohol goes out; and continue until you no longer smell hot alcohol aroma.
3. Turn off the heat and transfer the marinade to a container, and chill completely.

Short Ribs

1. Trim the excess fat from the meat, and cut each piece against the grain into approximately six 7-ounce portions. If you have small boneless short ribs, there is no need to split them in half.
2. Place the meat in a container with the chilled marinade and refrigerate for 12 to 16 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Remove the meat and the bouquet garni from the marinade.
4. Transfer the marinade (including the mirepoix) into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Clarify the liquid by skimming off the impurities that rise to the top. When thoroughly clarified, the marinade will return to the vibrant color of the wine. Remove from heat.
5. Heat ¼ inch of canola oil in a sauté pan over high heat.
6. Season both sides of each piece of meat with salt and dredge in flour, patting off the excess.
7. When the oil is shimmering, add the meat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on all sides. Because of the red wine, when the meat is properly browned, it will be dark brown with a purple tint. When all sides have browned, transfer to a paper towel-lined rack.
8. Pour off the excess oil from the pan, leaving the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan for deglazing. (Deglazing is the process of removing and dissolving the bits that stick to the bottom of the pan by adding liquid.)
9. Return to heat and add the clarified marinade.
10. Add the short ribs, veal stock, light chicken stock, and bouquet garni. The meat should be covered with liquid; if it’s not, add more veal and chicken stock as necessary.
11. Bring the liquid to a simmer on the stove. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven, and braise for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender.
12. Transfer the meat to a ceramic baking dish, and carefully pour the cooking liquid over the meat. Make sure meat is submerged in liquid, then cover with plastic wrap and let rest overnight in the refrigerator.
13. Remove the meat from the baking dish, and transfer the remaining braising liquid to a sauce pot. Bring to a simmer.
14. Strain the liquid through a chinois, tapping the edge of the chinois with a spoon to help the liquid through. Discard the remnants of the mirepoix.
15. Place the meat into a saute pan. Add a third of the strained braising liquid, and add enough light chicken stock to slightly reduce the viscosity, starting with a couple of ounces. (The amount you need to use is based on the surface area of your pan. The wider your pan, the more you need to add. The goal is to have enough liquid in the pan to heat the short rib through and glaze it, but without having a ton of liquid left. You don’t want the meat to be sitting in a soup, but you also don’t want the liquid to turn to syrup and have a cold center.)
16. Bring the liquid to a simmer, basting the meat and allowing the sauce to glaze it. Reduce until it is a sauce consistency.
17. Finish the sauce with butter for a velvety texture.
18. Enjoy!

Visit Oaken Bistro and Bar in Lake Forest, IL., and online for more delicious dishes and inspiration.