Fall is my favorite season. I love the weather, the leaves changing colors and falling to the ground and, of course, the flavors. The flavors of fall are warm, rich and earthy, and there just seems to be a sweet scent of nostalgia in the air during this season.
This slow-braised short rib recipe ties all of fall into one heartwarming and tummy-pleasing dish. Braising the short ribs in fresh apple cider adds a nice sweetness that's balanced out with red wine vinegar. It's the perfect fall dish that's layered with flavor and comfort.
Apple cider slow-braised short ribs
Preparation time: 30 minutes (all hands-on time)
Total time: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients3 pounds beef short ribs (English-style cut with bone in)
6 cups apple cider (You can substitute with apple juice if you really need to, but it's not the same. Fall is apple cider season, so it shouldn't be too hard to get!)
2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
1/2 onion, cut into quarters
8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 bunch fresh thyme (All fresh herbs in this recipe can be substituted with dry, but fresh makes a world of a difference in flavor!)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, picked and roughly chopped
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste
Directions 1. Season short ribs with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Put a sauté pan on high heat, allowing the pan to get very hot, about 1 to 2 minutes. Once the pan is hot, add canola oil and spread evenly on the pan by lifting and rotating until the oil evenly coats the bottom. If 2 tablespoons isn't enough to coat your pan, add as much oil as needed to get an even coat. When the oil starts to slightly smoke, carefully add short ribs and adjust the heat to medium-high. It is important not to overcrowd the pan. Once the ribs have a nice crust and are browned (about 2 to 4 minutes), rotate to brown another side. Continue this until all sides are seared. Remove short ribs and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add garlic, onion, carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme. Allow to cook in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, or until brown. Then deglaze with 1 to 2 cups apple cider, being sure to scrape up all the goodness on the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the short ribs into a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the onion mixture over the ribs, plus 2 tablespoons of the red wine vinegar. Mix well, being sure all the herbs and meat are completely submerged in liquid. If they are not, add the remaining apple cider (depending on the size of your slow cooker, you may or may not use all of the cider). Cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.
5. Allow short ribs to come to room temperature while still in the liquid. Then gently remove from pot. Remove the bones and set aside.
6. Transfer everything else in the slow cooker into a pot/pan along with the removed bones. Place on stove over high heat, allowing the liquid to reduce by a third. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Pass the liquid through a fine strainer; you'll be left with a sweet and tangy luscious sauce to pour over the short ribs.
Pro tip: Always allow ribs to properly cool in the braising liquid, no matter how much you'd like to skip this step. Never separate the two while hot. The ribs will lose all their moisture, and when you decide to heat them up, they'll be sad and dry.
Note: All slow cookers are a little bit different in temperature and calibration. This recipe was tested in Cooktop Cove's Test Kitchen using this slow cooker, which is available for purchase here.Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which help support the site. 