This is the Sunday braise — fall-apart short ribs slow-cooked in our Cocoa & Ancho blend and red wine until the meat gives way at the touch of a fork. It’s the last recipe of the quiet season and the first of the holidays: low, slow, and entirely worth the wait. Sear the ribs, build a deep red-wine braise with carrots and onions, and let the oven turn tough meat tender over a few unhurried hours.

The finish is a bright gremolata — chopped parsley, lemon zest, and garlic scattered over the top — that cuts all that richness and makes the dish sing. Serve it over creamy polenta or mashed potatoes to catch the sauce, with the braised vegetables alongside. It’s a generous, celebratory dinner for the people worth slowing down for.

The Sunday Braise

Servings

6

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

180 minutes

The last recipe of the quiet season, and the first of the holiday one. Low, slow, and worth the wait. A braise is generosity you can taste.

Ingredients

  • 3 lb Bone-in beef short ribs (or chuck)
  • 2 Tbsp Calicutts Cocoa & Ancho blend
  • 2 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, smashed
  • 1 C Red wine (or additional broth)
  • About 3 C Beef broth, (to nearly cover)
  • 1 lemon, zest of (optional)
  • ¼ C Parsley, chopped (optional)
  • Pacific Flake Salt
  • Polenta or mashed potatoes, to serve

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Season the short ribs well with the Cocoa & Ancho blend and salt. Heat the oil in a heavy pot; sear the ribs hard on all sides, ~10 minutes; remove.
  2. Soften the onion and garlic 4 minutes. Pour in the wine, scraping up the browned bits; reduce 2 minutes.
  3. Return the ribs and add broth to nearly cover. Cover and braise in the oven about 3 hours, until fall-apart tender. Skim the fat; reduce the sauce on the stovetop if you like it thicker.
  4. Optional: Make the gremolata. Stir together the lemon zest and parsley.
  5. Finish with Pacific Flake Salt and a scatter of gremolata, if desired — the bright lemon and parsley cut the richness and make the whole thing sing. Serve over polenta or mashed potatoes.