Braised Spare Ribs
Bonus Recipes

Braised Spare Ribs

3 hrs 30 min
Serves 8
beefbraisedribs

Eight beef spare ribs dredged in flour, seared hard in batches, then braised in red wine, beef broth, tomato paste, and thyme in a Dutch oven at 350°F — lid on for two hours, lid off for the final 30 minutes to reduce the gravy.

The Story

Braised spare ribs are the kind of dish that rewards patience and punishes shortcuts. The process has three distinct phases: sear, braise, and reduce. Start by seasoning the ribs with salt and pepper and dredging them in flour — the flour builds the crust on the sear and thickens the braising liquid later. Sear in batches in a hot Dutch oven with vegetable oil, getting color on all sides. Don't crowd the pan; crowding steams instead of sears. Set the seared ribs aside. Drop the heat to medium and cook the onion, carrots, and celery in the same pot, scraping up all the fond from the bottom and sides. Add the red wine and deglaze further, turning the heat back up to high. Once it's boiling, add the beef broth, tomato paste, thyme, and black pepper. Stir to combine and return to a boil. Return the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot. Lid on, into a 350°F oven for two hours. Then drop to 325°F, pull the lid, and let the braise open up for another 30 minutes — this is what concentrates the gravy. Rest 20 minutes out of the oven, then run the gravy through a fat separator. Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta with extra gravy spooned over the top.

Equipment

  • Dutch oven with lid
  • Fat separator
  • Oven @ 350°F then 325°F

Ingredients

  • 8beef spare ribs
  • 3 Tbspvegetable oil
  • 1/4 cupflour (for dredging)
  • to tastesalt and black pepper
  • 1onion, diced
  • 3carrots, peeled and cut in large chunks
  • 3 stalkscelery, peeled and cut in large chunks
  • 1 cupdry red wine
  • 2 cupsbeef broth
  • 2 Tbsptomato paste
  • 1 Tbspthyme
  • 2 tspblack pepper (for sauce)

Pudgy's Notes

Sear in batches — crowding the pan drops the temperature and the ribs steam instead of sear. You want a deep brown crust on all sides; that's where the flavor in the braising liquid comes from. The flour dredge does double duty: it builds the crust on the sear and thickens the braising liquid as it cooks. Don't skip scraping the fond when you cook the vegetables and deglaze with wine — that's concentrated flavor stuck to the bottom of the pot. The two-phase oven cook (lid on at 350°F, then lid off at 325°F) is intentional: the covered phase braises the ribs in steam and liquid, the open phase reduces and concentrates the gravy. Don't skip the fat separator step — beef spare ribs render a significant amount of fat and the gravy will be greasy without it. Polenta is an excellent alternative to mashed potatoes and soaks up the gravy just as well.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Dredge all sides in flour. About 5 minutes.

  2. 2

    Heat vegetable oil in the Dutch oven over high heat. Sear the ribs in batches, browning all sides. Do not crowd the pan. Remove seared ribs and set aside. About 20 minutes.

  3. 3

    Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the Dutch oven. Cook while scraping the bottom and sides to lift the fond. About 5 minutes.

  4. 4

    Add the red wine and continue to deglaze, scraping up any remaining fond. Return heat to high. About 5 minutes.

  5. 5

    Once boiling, add the beef broth, tomato paste, thyme, and black pepper. Stir to combine and return to a boil. About 5 minutes.

  6. 6

    Return the seared ribs and any accumulated juices to the Dutch oven. About 2 minutes.

  7. 7

    Cover the Dutch oven with its lid. Transfer to a 350°F oven and braise for 2 hours.

  8. 8

    Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Remove the lid and continue cooking with an open braise for 30 minutes to concentrate the gravy.

  9. 9

    Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes.

  10. 10

    Separate the fat from the gravy using a fat separator. About 5 minutes.

  11. 11

    Serve the ribs over mashed potatoes or polenta. Spoon extra gravy over the top. About 5 minutes.

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