Last night I decided to cook some short ribs I picked up from my guys at Jepson’s Fresh Meats down at the Hamilton Market. Whether you are looking for pork belly, pork shoulder, porchetta, short ribs, brisket, ox tail – they have outstanding quality products at very reasonable prices. The father-son duo of Ron and Raymond are very solid guys, always willing to help with advice. I get almost all of my meat from them. Check out their website: http://www.jepsonsfreshmeats.com

Not to sound like a Fallout Boy song, but “I digress”. I like braising short ribs (and oxtail for that matter) starting with a “mirepoix” (diced celery, carrot and onion) cooking down fresh cherry tomatoes from my parents’ garden and adding a few splashes of red wine. It takes time but is fantastic when finished. I got into braising oxtail after a friend took me out for a few beers to a Spanish joint in Toronto’s Kensington Market. A friend of his was in the kitchen and he brought out some braised ox tail to sample with our group. One little taste and I was hooked.

It took me a little while to find a recipe online that I liked, which is why I am here to post mine today. While my recipe calls for short ribs, it is versatile enough to use for other meats including but not limited to oxtail (Oxtail is a tougher meat and should be cooked a bit longer, about 4 hours).

Step 1: Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion (diced)
1/2 cup celery (diced)
1/2 cup carrots (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)
1 can of diced tomatoes OR 2-3 cups of diced fresh tomatoes - I used fresh cherry tomatoes from my parents' garden
1 bottle of red wine (1/2 cup for the sauce, the rest for me)
1 cup chicken or beef stock
2 racks of short ribs
Salt, pepper and parsley to taste

Step 2: Braising the Ribs

Heat the oven to 350.

Cut the short ribs into individual pieces. Drizzle olive oil into a pot and let it heat to medium. Add the short ribs to brown them – stir them up every minute or so and cook for about 5 minutes.

Remove the short ribs from the pot and place in another bowl. Add the celery, carrots, and onion.

Cook on medium until browned nicely then add the garlic.

Add the tomatoes, wine, stock and ribs and put into the oven at 350 with a lid partially covering.

*Please make sure the pot or dutch oven (recommended) you are using will not melt in the oven. I shouldn’t have to say this but you never know who is reading, ha!