Ingredients
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4 pounds bone-in English-style short Ribs
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Salt
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Black Pepper
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¾ ounce dried Porcini Mushrooms
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4 cups Water
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1½ cups whole Farro
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4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
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12 ounces Cremini Mushrooms
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1 Onion
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2 teaspoons minced fresh Thyme
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3 Garlic
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2 cups Beef Broth
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1½ ounces Parmesan Cheese
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2 teaspoons sherry Vinegar
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¼ cup chopped fresh Parsley
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2 tablespoons minced fresh Chives
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2 teaspoons grated Lemon Zest
Directions
Bone-in short ribs are perfect for braising: When cooked slowly, they boast a rich, beefy flavor and a tender, velvety texture. But the marbling that makes them taste so good can also be a serious liability, resulting in a greasy final dish. To avoid this, we first roasted them for about an hour without anything else in the pot; this enabled us to render and discard a significant amount of fat. We then built a deeply flavorful braising liquid using a combination of cremini and dried porcini mushrooms, aromatics, beef broth, and the porcini’s soaking liquid. When the ribs were close to done, we again defatted the cooking liquid and decided to use it to make farrotto, which is similar to risotto but uses hearty farro. To get a creamy, risotto-like consistency, we cracked about half of the farro in a blender to allow the grains to release more of their starch. We removed the short ribs from the pot, stirred the farro into the liquid, then put the short ribs back in and covered the pot to ensure that the grains would cook evenly. Stirring in some Parmesan, butter, and sherry vinegar at the end made for a rich yet bright side for our ribs. To give the dish a fresh finish, we topped it with a simple gremolata—a mixture of parsley, chives, lemon zest, and garlic. English-style short ribs contain a single rib bone. We prefer the flavor and texture of whole farro. Do not use quick-cooking or pearled farro.
Steps
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1
Done
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Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat short ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Arrange ribs in single layer in Dutch oven. Transfer pot to oven and roast, uncovered, until short ribs are browned, about 1 hour, flipping short ribs halfway through roasting. |
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2
Done
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Microwave porcini mushrooms and 1 cup water in covered bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let sit until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain mushrooms in fine-mesh strainer lined with coffee filter. Reserve liquid and finely chop porcini mushrooms. Pulse farro in blender until about half of grains are broken into smaller pieces, about 6 pulses; set aside. |
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3
Done
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Remove pot from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Transfer ribs to plate and discard any fat and juices left in pot. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium heat. Add cremini mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and dry, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in porcini mushrooms, thyme, and two-thirds of garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. |
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4
Done
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Stir in reserved porcini soaking liquid, broth, and remaining 3 cups water, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Nestle ribs, bone side up, into pot, adding any accumulated juices. Cover, return pot to oven, and cook for 2 hours. |
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5
Done
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Remove pot from oven and transfer ribs to plate. Using wide, shallow spoon, skim excess fat from surface of braising liquid. Stir in farro, then return ribs to pot, adding any accumulated juices. Cover, return pot to oven, and cook until ribs are tender and fork slips easily in and out of meat, 30 to 40 minutes. |
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6
Done
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Remove pot from oven. Transfer ribs to serving platter, brushing any farro back into pot; discard any loose bones. Add Parmesan, vinegar, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter to farro and stir vigorously until mixture becomes creamy, about 2 minutes. Adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. |
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7
Done
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To make gremolata, combine parsley, chives, lemon zest, and remaining garlic in small bowl. Sprinkle individual portions of ribs and farrotto with gremolata before serving. |
