Published January 1, 2000.
Here’s how to get the fat out of these notoriously fatty but flavorful ribs, then braise them perfectly.
Undeniably appealing, short ribs braised until tender and succulent are also undeniably fatty.
Braised short ribs are yielding, tender, and succulent. Then douse them with a velvety sauce containing all the rich, bold flavors from the braise, and they are as satisfying as beef stew, but with much more panache. Our challenge was to do justice to the short rib's huge potential for flavor while at the same time diminishing its huge stores of fat.
Instead of time-consuming and messy stovetop-browning, brown the short ribs all at once in the oven. Oven browning also allows the ribs to spend more time in the heat, which in turn maximizes the amount of fat rendered. For the braise, use onions, carrots, celery, and garlic for full, round flavor, and cook in a combination of canned chicken broth and a decent red wine. Plenty of fat still comes out in the braise; we found that the best way to deal with this problem was to let the braised ribs sit for a day to allow the fat to separate out and solidify. Once solidified, the fat is easy to scoop off the top of the gelatinized liquid.
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