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Hello, this is Chef John from foodwishes.com with loaf pan short ribs for two. That's right, we're turning our trusty old bread pan into a miniature Dutch oven. And whether you use this technique because you have a small guest list or an even smaller budget, these beef short ribs are going to come out just as amazing as the large format traditional version. And to get started, we will generously season our beef with a combination of kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. And of course, if you want to sneak a pinch of cayenne in there, go ahead. I mean, you are after all the Jordan Klepper of Chef John's favorite pepper. But anyway, we will season those up on all sides before we head to the stove to
give them their traditional browning, which I like to do over medium-high heat in a little bit of oil. Okay, we really don't need that much cuz there's a lot of fat in beef short ribs, which is going to render out as these brown. And in about a minute or two, you're going to have plenty of fat. And to save time, I'm not going to show you every twist and turn, but we do want to try to get some nice brown color on every side. And once that's been accomplished, we'll turn off the heat and we'll transfer those into a standard 9 by 5 loaf pan. And as you can see, three nice big short ribs cut like this are going to fit perfectly. And that's going to provide us two fairly generous portions. And that's it, once our pan's been
beefed, we'll head back to the stove and set our heat back on medium-high. And we will transfer a chopped onion into that delicious rendered fat along with the nice big pinch of salt. And then we'll cook these onions for about 5 or 6 minutes or until they're beautifully browned. And if you're thinking, "These look good right about here since they're starting to turn translucent and we have some nice golden brown on the edges." But those are not even close. Okay, I really want you to take them at least this far where almost all the pieces are golden brown and a few pieces are getting close to golden black and it's those pieces that are the secret to a beautifully colored sauce.
Okay, we don't want a pale tan. We want a deep dark rich beautiful brown. All right, so be brave and don't stop too soon. And once they do reach this point, we will stop and add some tomato paste for some color flavor and acidity as well as a spoon of flour just to help thicken our cooking liquids up a little bit and we'll cook that stirring for about 2 minutes just to cook the rawness out of that tomato paste and flour. And once that's been accomplished, we'll deglaze with some sherry wine or any kind of wine would work, but I think that a little bit of sweetness in the sherry works perfectly in this recipe. And if you don't do wine, you can do like half wine vinegar and half water
and sort of kind of get the same effect. And what we'll do is let that boil for about 1 minute to reduce slightly before we transfer in our broth. And both chicken or beef will work in this. And we'll go ahead and give that a stir and let it cook for about 3 or 4 minutes or until things reduce and thicken up very slightly. Or at least that's what I'm going to do. All right, if you did want your sauce nice and thick, you could simply let this reduce and cook down for a few extra minutes. But this is already sort of a rich decadent dish so I tend to keep my sauces texture on the lighter side.
And right about here, it was looking just about perfect to me. And that's it. Once we're happy with it, we can turn off the heat and reserve it for a few minutes until we need it and we'll head back over to finish prepping our loaf pan which means placing it on a baking sheet just in case we have any drips. And then over the top we'll add some cut up carrot and celery which along with the onions makes up what we call a mirepoix. And those aromatic vegetables really do add a ton of flavor to the sauce. And then we'll follow that with some herb and I'm going to do rosemary and some thyme. And while I often use dry herb for this, it is spring and I was feeling a little bit fresh. So, I went out and plucked
that right from the garden. And that's it. We'll grab our pan of braising liquid, also known as our sauce, and we'll pour that over the top and spread it out evenly. And then we will cover this as tightly as possible with some heavy-duty foil, making sure all those edges get thoughtfully crimped. And that's it. Our loaf pan, which we just turned into a little Dutch oven, is ready to transfer into a 325° oven for about 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours or until our meat is fork tender. And you'll never guess how we're going to check for that. Nope. We're going to use a fork, which should slide in easily, which by the way happens before the meat completely falls apart, which I think is a common mistake with braised short ribs.
Right? We're not trying to make shredded beef. But anyway, that felt perfect to me. And as you can see, our sauce is looking even more beautiful. But there's going to be a lot of fat on the surface, and that's why time permitting, I like to use a 2-day method for this, which means we cook the short ribs on day one and then remove those to a plate, and then we'll add another big splash of broth to the pan, and we'll give it a little stir so any trapped fat comes to the top. And then we'll let that cool and we'll wrap it back up, and we will transfer that into the fridge overnight. And not only is our sauce going to taste better, but that fat's going to be super easy to remove. And of course, we'll also wrap up our
short ribs and pop those in the fridge as well. And that's it. The next day we'll pull our pan out and we'll unwrap it and we'll remove the fat. And by the way, it doesn't have to be overnight. You can just do it for a few hours until it's fully chilled. And since that fat gets nice and hard when it's cold, it's very easy to remove and scrape off any goodness attached. And I idea why I'm holding a spoon and a fork. Whoops. You only need one or the other. And while of course you can just try to spoon the fat off the top when it's hot, I find this method easier and more effective. And time permitting, I really think this is the way to go. And that's it. Once the top's been
defatted, we will nestle our short ribs back in. And we'll give those a little bit of a basting to moisten the top before we pop these back into a 350° oven for about 45 minutes or until our meat is heated through and very succulent. And I guess you could cover them for the reheating, but I don't since I don't mind a little deeper color. Plus it will help our sauce reduce and concentrate even further. But anyway, like I said, we'll pop those back in for about 45 minutes, at which point they hopefully look like this. And before we serve, we'll go ahead and baste the tops. And as you can see, we still have a little bit of fat.
Also known as the perfect amount of fat. And as far as service goes, I must insist you put these on some mashed potatoes. I used to say things like put this on rice and noodles if you want, but you really shouldn't. Unless you're allergic to mashed potatoes, that is absolutely what this should be resting upon. But anyway, after we add a few of those beautiful carrots and plenty of that spectacular sauce, we'll finish up with a little sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves. And our loaf pan short ribs for two is ready to enjoy. So I'm going to grab a fork and knife and dig in.
And yes, we can remove the bones, but not that connective tissue that holds the bone on, which is what I'm cutting through now. Right, that's going to braise up nice and tender and is probably the most flavorful part of the whole rib. And while this technique will work great no matter how you flavor your meat, I think that little kiss of sherry wine and that little hint of tomato, along with those aromatic vegetables and herbs we added, is pretty much the perfect flavor profile for braised short rib. So, normally I do like you to experiment, but maybe try it this way first before you do.
Oh, and by the way, I've been watching a lot of BritBox so I can pick up tips on eating Continental style where the fork is upside down in your left hand and the knife stays in your right. So, I've been practicing that and while I'm not quite up to Downton Abbey level yet, it is going pretty well. But anyway, no matter how you eat this, if you want incredibly delicious beef short ribs for two and you have a loaf pan, this truly was fantastic and I really do hope you give it a try soon. So, please follow the links below for the ingredient amounts, a printable written recipe and much more info as usual. And as always, enjoy.
