Whiskey Braised Short Ribs

Though it isn’t technically winter for a few more days, there’s a Christmas tree up in my living room and I’ve experienced my first snowfall of the year. As the chill starts to set in for a few months my kitchen will be occupied with braised meats. For some reason or another when I think of “braised” my mind does a word association and immediately follows up with “short ribs.” These are simply seasoned with salt and pepper; there’s an added bonus in that you get to play with fire when you flambé the whiskey to add a slightly smokey and earthy undertone to the meat. Serve with some mashed potatoes and roasted carrots and we’re all in heaven. I ordered these wonderfully marbled beauties from Flannery Beef in California through a great website called FoodyDirect. They ship some of the best food and gourmet gifts straight to your door! It doesn’t get much better than that. Oh wait, I lied—they’re offering Hungry Hutch readers a coupon with the code “HUNGRYHUTCH10” for $10 off your first order on their site! Consider it an early Christmas gift from me to you.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. shortribs
• salt
• pepper
• oil
• 1/2 cup whiskey
• 2 cups unsalted beef stock

Procedure:

1. Cut shortribs into individual pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place a pan large enough to hold all of the meat over high heat. Add a little oil and continue to heat until it ripples. Sear each side of the short rib until browned. (I did it this in batches so as not to crowd the pan and get some good color.) Once all of the meat is cooked, set aside.
3. Now it’s time for a little danger and excitement—it’s flambé time! Please read these instructions carefully, esp. if you’ve never lit alcohol on fire before. Make sure you have a good six or so feet of clearance above your stove. Turn your flame down low. Off the heat and away from the flame, carefully add the whiskey to the pan. Return pan to burner and tilt to ignite. After about a minute or so, the fire will die after the alcohol has burned off. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan before adding the beef stock. Bring to a simmer and add the seared meat.
4. Cover the pan and place in a 350˚F oven for about 2 hours, or until tender.
5. Optional: Take out the ribs, cover, and set aside. Skim the fat from the braising liquid and reduce by half to make a sauce to coat the ribs.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored posted by FoodyDirect.