Beef Short Rib Ragu

 

When I first started shopping at Costco 22 years ago, I was blown away by the selection of beef cuts they offered. One that really caught my eye was something called a boneless short rib. I had only seen bone-in short ribs before. I mistakenly assumed that boneless short ribs were cut from the rib section and the bones had been removed. Dead wrong I was.

Boneless short ribs are actually cut from the shoulder...from the same area that the chuck roasts come from. This is why they have that big beef flavor and do best when they are cooked low and slow by braising. When I first started buying them at Costco, I believe they were about $2.00 a pound. I just picked some up last Thursday and thanks to pandemic inflation, they were $15.99 a pound. Pre-pandemic, that's what I was paying at Costco for USDA Prime Rib Eye Steaks.

This Cook's Illustrated recipe takes the short ribs and turns them into an unbelievably savory, umami bomb. In Italy, this ragu is used to top a bowl of warm polenta. My taste buds prefer buttered egg noodles, so that's how I serve this up. If you can't find boneless short ribs at your store, don't substitute bone-in short ribs. Use 1-inch cubes cut from a chuck-arm roast instead.

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 cups beef broth

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 anchovy fillets, minced

1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder

1/2 cup red wine

1, 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, chopped fine

2 pounds boneless beef short ribs

3/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350º. Microwave 1/2 cup of broth and mushrooms in covered bowl until steaming (about 1 minute). Let sit until softened (about 5 minutes). Drain mushrooms in fine-mesh strainer lined with coffee filter, pressing to extract all liquid. Reserve liquid and chop mushrooms fine. 
2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add tomato paste, anchovies and five-spice powder and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has darkened and fond forms on the bottom (about 4 minutes). Add wine and increase heat to medium high, bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until wine is reduced and pot is almost dry (about 3 minutes). Add tomatoes and reserved juice, remaining one cup of broth, reserved mushroom soaking liquid and mushrooms, then bring to a simmer.
3. Toss beef with 3/4 teaspoon salt and season with pepper. Add beef to pot, cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 1 hour.
4. Uncover and continue to cook until beef is tender (about 1 hour more).
5. Remove pot from oven. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to cutting boarding let cool for 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred beef into bite-size pieces. Return beef  to Dutch oven to sauce and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Wine pairing: Amarone