How to Cook Beef Short Ribs with Beetroot & Red Wine

  • Prep time
  • Cook time
  • Difficulty medium
  • Serves 2
cooked beef short ribs with beetroot and red wine

Ingredients

  • For the Short Ribs
  • 1 kg beef short ribs
  • A little beef dripping, schmaltz or oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • Sprig thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 cracked black peppercorns
  • 6 cracked juniper berries
  • 2 star anise
  • 375ml red wine
  • 400ml Beef stock / broth
  • 1 tbls. Tomato puree
  • 1 tbls. Polish style Plum ‘cheese’ or red currant jelly
  • 1 tbls. Corn flour mixed with a little cold water
  • for the Beetroot
  • Half a dozen fresh beetroots, mixed variety if possible peeled and cut into wedges (keep a couple back for the raw salad)
  • 2 tbls. Schmaltz, beef dripping or oil
  • 8 cloves garlic unpeeled
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Few sprigs thyme

beef short ribs with beetroot and red wine recipe ingredients

Method For the Short Ribs

  1. Preheat your oven to 150°C /130°C fan assisted (gas 2).
  2. Make a mirepoix by neatly chopping equal amounts of the onion and carrot plus garlic, spices and herbs.
  3. Season the meat with sea salt before searing in a little beef dripping or schmaltz in a casserole dish over high heat until brown, then keep the meat to one side.
  4. In the same dish, fry the mirepoix until lightly coloured. Add the puree, red wine and plum cheese or redcurrant, reduce by half, then add the beef stock and reduce a little. Thicken with a tablespoon of cornflour mixed with a little cold water and stir into the boiling sauce, then add the meat to the casserole dish, cover and place in the centre of the oven and cook for 5 hours or until the meat is tender when pierced with a skewer.
  5. Remove from the oven and pass off the juices through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan and reduce to a rich, glossy gravy, then pour back over the ribs.

cooking beef short rib in a pot

Method for the Beetroot

  1. Preheat the oven 180°C fan assisted or 200°C without a fan (gas 6).
  2. Toss the beetroots and garlic in the schmaltz and sprinkle with a little sea salt and thyme.
  3. Place in a deep roasting tin just large enough to hold the beetroots then cover tightly with foil.
  4. Roast for 1 hour or until the beets are tender when pierced with a skewer and reserve.
  5. With the peeled raw beetroot finely shred then toss with a little lemon juice and seasoning.

beetroot and spring thyme in a bowl

To serve

Place a rib into a warm serving bowl on luxury all butter mash, cover with the rich gravy then scatter around the beetroot, serve a little salad on the side of crème fraîche spiked with horseradish, shredded beetroot salad and baby beet leaves.

Note: The short ribs can also be cooked in a pressure cooker. Follow the same method and they will be super tender in just 45 minutes. Alternatively cook in a slow cooker on high for 8+ hours. For all cooking methods, it is good to pass the sauce and reduce a little by removing any oil that rises to the surface.

With leftovers, shred the meat into a little sauce and use as a ragu paired with fresh pappardelle.

The 'plum cheese', also known as butter jam, is readily available in Eastern European stores or online.

cooked beef short ribs with beetroot and red wine