Braised Short Ribs with Herbs
Pistachios and fresh herbs paired with a rich short rib
Pistachios and fresh herbs paired with a rich short rib
This is my personal favorite recipe to date, and I’ve made this with a litany of different sauces to accompany: this pistachio-dill-parsley sauce has come out on top. You’ll end up with a lot of leftover sauce, perfect to use on a pasta or as a salad dressing later in the week—it’s so bright and refreshing—I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! This will serve 4 for dinner, or 2 for a couple of meals. The active cooking time is about 35 minutes with 3 hours of inactive tempering/oven time, plus up to a day of resting in the fridge before cooking.
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Ingredients:
For the short ribs
3 pounds beef short ribs
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp kosher salt
Refined avocado oil or another high-heat cooking oil, for the cast iron
A few sprigs of dill/parsley, for serving
Flaky salt, for serving
Small handful roughly chopped pistachios, for serving
For the pistachio herb sauce
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 scallion, trimmed and halved
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tsp champagne vinegar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp pistachios
A little honey, optional
A tiny bit of infused finishing oil, optional
Directions:
Season the short ribs all over with 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1 Tbsp kosher salt. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours. (If you’re short on time, season and let sit at room temperature for an hour before continuing.)
Take the short ribs out of the fridge to come up to room temp for at least an hour, and about 10 mins before you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Set a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Working in batches, sear the short ribs, turning until deeply browned on all sides. (8-10 minutes total per batch.)
Transfer the browned short ribs to a Dutch oven or deep cast iron with a lid (bone-side down to shield the meat from direct heat). Pour about 1/2 cup of water into the hot pan you were previously using to deglaze. Pour the deglazing liquid over the short ribs, then add enough water to come about three-quarters of the way up the short ribs. Cover the Dutch oven or cast iron with a lid and place in the oven to braise until the meat is tender, 2 hours. I check in my in-oven thermometer here and there to make sure the oven temp is staying right at 300ºF and adjust when needed.
Meanwhile, make the herb sauce: to a high speed blender or using an immersion blender, add 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, 1 trimmed and halved scallion, 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 tsp champagne vinegar, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Pulse until almost entirely smooth, then add 2 Tbsp pistachios. Add more olive oil if needed. Pulse until the pistachios are mostly broken down. Taste and add more kosher salt and/or honey if you’d like. Sometimes I like to serve this as more of a pesto, so I blend it less and add a bit more olive oil. (This is also great with pasta, in case you need ideas for leftovers. Store in the fridge for up to a week.)
Transfer the meat to a plate and pour all the liquid into a large measuring cup. Let settle for a few minutes, then skim off most of the fat that’s risen to the surface and keep it in the fridge for future cooking (use anytime you’d use butter or oil). Remove the bones, which should simply fall off and store them in the freezer if you’d like to use them for stock in the future.
To serve: add a generous scoop of the herb sauce to a plate or shallow bowl, gently swiping it in a circle. Add the short rib on top, followed by a pinch of flaky salt, pistachios and a sprig of parsley or dill. I also added a drizzle of citrus finishing oil, which you can do if you’d like—enjoy!
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