Braised Short Ribs with Mushroom Risotto

Heat a 5 quart cast iron rondeau over medium heat with a bit of olive oil. Coat four beef short rib squares with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary rubbed in with a bit of oil. Brown the ribs on all sides.

Add a sliced small onion, one carrot, and one stalk of celery to the pot around the ribs, then fill with about 2 cups of water and then red wine until the ribs are exposed only about a half inch above the liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the ribs are falling apart. Then, turn the heat to very low, remove the lid, and start on the risotto.

For the risotto, heat a skillet to medium high, then add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add one minced shallot and cook for a couple of minutes or until the shallot is clear but not browning just yet. Add about 10 sliced mushrooms (baby portabella, crimini, porcini, all will work well, or you could use the dried assortment from Costco) and cook for another 3 minutes. Add a bit more oil if needed, then add 1 1/4 cups arborio rice and cook for a few minutes, or until the rice is translucent. Now, take a ladle and scoop one ladleful of the braising liquid, being careful not to get the aromatics or other debris into the ladle, and put the liquid into the skillet. Stir until the liquid is absorbed, then continue to ladle in more liquid until the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes total of cooking will be required. At the very end, add a bit more of the wine to the risotto.

Ladle a good scoop of the mushroom risotto onto the plate, then slice the meat from the ribs and arrange it on top of the risotto. Serve with the remaining wine.

This isn't exactly a high-brow dish, so it doesn't make sense to go overboard with the wine. We used our go-to Merlot (Bogle) and it worked just fantastic. If I wanted to go a notch higher, I might use a less-expensive Barolo.

Rib Rub

Everyone has to have their secret rub for barbecue, right? Except, I don't see how keeping it a secret makes any sense, since I'd just as soon we all shared and had better food as a result. So, here's how I do ribs. I made up the rub as a conglomeration of Alton Brown's recipe, plus one used by a (sort of) relative, plus just what I thought would work well.

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup table salt
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 1/2 T paprika
1 t dry mustard
1 t onion powder
fresh ground pepper
1/2 t thyme leaves
dash of coriander
1 t cayenne pepper (more or less to taste, probably more... :-) )

Shake it all together to blend well. When the time comes to eat:

Take a slab of ribs and put a drizzle of canola oil on each side. Put a generous portion of rub on each side and work it in with the oil. Some people advocate mixing rub with oil to make a paste; I don't like doing it that way, but whatever fits your fancy. Let the ribs sit (in the fridge) with the rub for an hour or so. Then, fire up the smoker and smoke the ribs for 3-4 hours at around 225 F. The meat should be pulling back from the bone, nice and tender but not too dry. Let the ribs sit for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, fire up the grill and let it warm up to about 450F. Turn the heat down to medium direct and grill the ribs for about 3 minutes per side, just enough to carmelize the outside and put a bit of a crust on the ribs. You don't need any sauce with these. The rub and the smoke make an excellent flavor combination, and the crust makes a really nice texture contrast. Yum. As much as I prefer wine with a meal, these go absolutely excellent with a good beer. Sorry, Professor Bainbridge.

Also, you can use all paprika with no chili powder (i.e. 3 T paprika), mix in some garlic powder, and douse chicken wings with the rub. Let them stand for about an hour in the fridge, then grill right about 400F for 10-15 minutes per side, depending on how done you like them.

At some point, I'll dig up a good recipe for sauce, and we'll have another rib post, using a glaze instead of a rub. I can't wait.