Pennsylvania-based blogger Allie Doran recently published a cookbook, “Venison Every Day.” In it, Doran shares her best venison-based recipes, tips and tricks, including this sumptuous short ribs dish. Here’s what she has to say about it:
Short ribs are my favorite thing to make on Christmas Day. I love them because you can make them a day or two beforehand and then just slide them in the fridge, in the vessel you cook them in, until you’re ready to serve. Then they simply get heated up, and voilà — a really beautiful and cozy dish! It should be noted that deer short ribs are best from larger deer. I highly recommend leaving at least half of your ribs whole so you can try out short ribs. You’ll be blown away with how tender they are! I like to serve this with polenta and plenty of the pan juices.
Red Wine-Braised Venison Short Ribs with Herb Gremolata
| Yield |
|---|
| Serves 4-6 |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (910 g) venison ribs
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons (2 g) chopped fresh rosemary, plus 2 whole sprigs, divided
- 2 teaspoons (2 g) chopped fresh thyme
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (15 g) salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) pepper
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 2 cups (480 ml) dry red wine, such as Cabernet, or beef broth
- 2 cups (480 ml) beef or venison broth
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste
Method
- The night before you want to make the short ribs, place them on a cutting board and cut the ribs into smaller pieces, with about 4 ribs per piece. This makes searing them much easier.
- In a bowl, mix together the garlic, chopped rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of the salt and pepper to make the herb gremolata. Rub about three-fourths of the gremolata all over the short ribs and place them in an airtight container in the fridge. Let the short ribs sit overnight to absorb the flavors of the gremolata. Store the remaining gremolata in a separate container in the fridge.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Set out a Dutch oven or 9×13–inch (23×33–cm) baking dish.
- Remove the short ribs from the fridge and brush off some of the gremolata.
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the short ribs and sear on both sides so that there’s a nice, golden-brown crust. Set the short ribs aside and wipe out the pan.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the wine, broth, vinegar, tomato paste and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) of salt to the pan. Whisk until the tomato paste has dissolved into the liquid. Turn off the heat.
- If you’re using a Dutch oven, add the short ribs back and spoon the liquid all over them. If you’re using a baking dish, add the short ribs to the dish and pour over the red wine sauce. Place the remaining rosemary sprigs over the short ribs and cover the Dutch oven with the lid or the dish with foil. Bake for about 2 hours. The meat should be falling off the bone. Discard the rosemary sprigs.
- Before serving, sprinkle the remaining gremolata all over the short ribs.
- Photo and recipe: Allie Doran
