Oven-Braised Short Rib Ragu

Oven-Braised Short Rib Ragu

Short Rib Ragu is a stunner! Bone-in short ribs are slowly braised in the oven until they're fall apart tender, then the shredded meat and sauce are swirled with cooked pasta.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 5 15

Course Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine American

Keyword dairy free, gluten free

Method braise, saute

Servings

Calories 626kcal

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
4 - 5 lbs bone-in beef short ribs ~6-8 short ribs
salt and pepper
2 medium carrots finely chopped, ~1 cup
1 large shallot or small yellow onion chopped
4 cloves garlic pressed or minced
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
2 cups beef stock or broth
28 oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
4 - 5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 lemon
1-1/2 lbs fresh or dried pasta see notes
freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

Place a half sheet pan on the bottom rack of your oven to catch any drips or spillovers, then preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat a large Dutch Oven — 4-quart minimum, 6 — 7-quart recommended — over medium-high heat. Line a small prep cup with foil then set aside.
Season the short ribs generously all over with salt and pepper. Once the pot is very hot, add 1 Tablespoon oil then heat until it’s hot but not smoking, 15 seconds. Using tongs, place the short ribs into the bottom of the pot fat-side down, pressing down on the tops to ensure the bottoms receive a hard sear. You may need to sear the short ribs in two batches depending on the size of your pot. Sear the short ribs on all four sides until a browned, caramelized crust has formed, 3-4 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate and set aside. Pour out all the fat into the foil-lined prep cup (keep any browned bits inside the pot) then let the pot sit off the heat for several minutes to cool slightly.
Once slightly cooled, place the pot over medium heat then add the remaining Tablespoon oil. Add the carrots and shallots or onions then season with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 5-7 minutes, using a spatula to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic then saute until extremely fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste then stir to combine and saute for 1 minute. Add the red wine then turn the heat up to high to bring it to a simmer. Turn the heat back down to medium then simmer and reduce the wine for 5 minutes, using a spatula to scrape up any remaining bits from the bottom of the pot.
To the pot add the beef broth, San Marzano tomatoes (leave whole) plus juices, bay leaves, and fresh thyme then stir to combine. Nestle the seared short ribs into the pot, ensuring the meatiest sides are covered with liquid, then place a lid on top and place inside the oven. Braise with lid on for 4 hours, or until the meat shreds very easily with 2 forks, rotating the short ribs with tongs every 1-1/2 hours or so.
Once extremely tender, transfer the short ribs to a cutting board to cool slightly. — some of the bones will slide out as you're transferring them to the cutting board so be careful to not splash hot liquid on yourself. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the bones then shred the meat and place inside an airtight container with a lid and refrigerate.
Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems then let the pot and sauce cool to room temperature. Cover then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, or until the fat has solidified on top of the sauce.
Scrape the fat off the top of the ragu then place the pot over medium heat. While the sauce is reheating, use a potato masher to mash the tomatoes and vegetables into a fairly smooth sauce. Add the shredded short ribs then, once hot, add a drizzle of lemon juice — the dish shouldn’t taste lemony, just brightened. Taste then add additional salt and pepper if needed.
Meanwhile, while the ragu is reheating, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a palmful of salt then add the pasta and cook according to package directions. BEFORE DRAINING, carefully remove ~1 cup of the pasta cooking water then drain the noodles and return them to the pot. Add your desired amount of Short Rib Ragu plus a splash of pasta cooking water, which helps the sauce adhere to the pasta and seasons the dish, then stir to combine. Scoop into bowls then top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

I like serving Short Rib Ragu with fresh or dried tagliatelle, pappardelle, fettuccini, or rigatoni. This dish is also fantastic served over mashed potatoes, cooked gnocchi, or parmesan polenta.
Leftover Short Rib Ragu can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Estimated nutritional information includes fat from the short ribs that's poured off after the searing step, and fat that's scraped off the top of the cooled sauce.

Nutrition