Barolo-Braised Beef Short Ribs

Ideastream Public Media

Published December 17, 2024 at 12:14 PM EST

Start to finish: 5 hours (50 minutes active)
Servings: 4 to 6

Brasato al barolo, or beef braised in Barolo wine, is a classic dish from Piedmont in northern Italy. Customarily, the beef is a roast that is slow-cooked, then sliced and served like a pot roast. The cooking liquid, rich with the essence of wine, beef and aromatics, becomes a resplendent sauce. For a more elegant take on the dish—one that can be the center of a special-occasion dinner—we opted for bone-in beef short ribs. Short ribs start out tough but are well marbled; slow, gentle braising renders them succulent and tender. Seek out meaty ribs—English cut (not flankenstyle), if ordering from a butcher—that ideally are 4 to 5 inches in length so each rib is a single serving. The braise is named for the wine used in its making—Barolo, a deep, complex Piedmontese wine made from Nebbiolo grapes that lend generous tannins and acidity. But it isn’t cheap, so you might consider Barbaresco or Nebbiolo d’Alba, though any decent dry red wine works. The beef requires a few hours of braising, so instead of stovetop simmering, which demands a watchful eye and burner adjustments, we rely on the steady, even heat of the oven. The ribs won’t fit comfortably in a Dutch oven, so you will need a roasting pan, one that measures about 13 by 16 inches, plus heavyduty, extra-wide foil to cover it. Polenta is a traditional accompaniment to beef in Barolo, but mashed potatoes would be equally delicious.

Don’t forget to lower the oven temperature after removing the aromatics from the oven. The aromatics brown at 475°F, but 325°F is the temperature for braising the ribs. Also, when reducing the wine, don’t simmer it vigorously. Allowing it to reduce slowly, at just below a simmer, preserves nuances and results in a smoother, brighter flavor.

INGREDIENTS

½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
¾ cup boiling water
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons tomato paste
750-ml bottle Barolo wine (see headnote)
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
3 bay leaves
3 thyme sprigs
1 large rosemary sprig
6 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed, each 4 to 5 inches long (see headnote)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oven to 475°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a small bowl, combine the porcini mushrooms and boiling water; set aside. Meanwhile, in a large roasting pan, combine the pancetta, oil, cremini mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and tomato paste. Using your hands, rub the paste into the other ingredients. Roast, without stirring, until deeply browned, about 40 minutes.

While the aromatics are roasting, in a large saucepan over medium, bring the wine to a bare simmer, then reduce to medium-low to maintain a bare simmer (it should steam, with only a few bubbles occasionally breaking the surface), until reduced to about 1½ cups, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the broth, bay, thyme and rosemary. Using a fork, transfer the porcini from their soaking liquid to the wine mixture, then pour the mushroom soaking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into the wine mixture.

When the aromatics are deeply browned, remove the roasting pan from the oven; reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Bring the wine mixture to a simmer over medium-high. Nestle the short ribs meaty side down in the aromatics in the roasting pan, then add the wine mixture. Cover tightly with extra-wide foil; if the pan has fixed raised handles, be sure to get a good seal around the base of the handles. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3½ hours.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil, allowing the steam to vent away from you; reserve the foil. Using tongs, flip each rib meaty side up. Return the pan, uncovered, to the oven and cook until a skewer inserted into the ribs meets no resistance, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Using tongs, transfer the ribs to a platter and tent with the reserved foil. Let rest for 20 minutes.

While the ribs rest, set a fine-mesh strainer over a large saucepan. Scrape the contents of the roasting pan into the sieve; press on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the solids. Tilt the pan to pool the liquid to one side, then use a wide spoon to skim off and discard as much fat as possible; you should have about 3 cups defatted liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then reduce to medium and cook until reduced to about 2½ cups, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the flour and butter until homogeneous.

With the liquid simmering over medium-low, whisk in the butter-flour mixture a spoonful at a time. Return to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until the sauce no longer tastes starchy and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Uncover the short ribs and pour on about half of the sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley. Transfer the remaining sauce to a serving bowl and serve on the side.

Make-Ahead Instructions:

Follow the recipe to braise the short ribs. When the ribs are fully tender, after removing the roasting pan from the oven, flip each piece meaty side down, then let cool completely. Re-cover the pan with the foil and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. To finish, use a spoon to remove and discard the solidified fat on the surface of the braising liquid and bring to room temperature. Put the pan, covered with foil, in a 350°F oven until the ribs are heated through, 20 to 30 minutes. Continue with the recipe to strain the cooking liquid (you will not need to skim the fat off the liquid after straining) and make the sauce.