Chipotle Braised Short Ribs, Turnip Puree, Cilantro Gremolata

I love the winter for possibly only one reason besides skiing - drinking Jim Beam. Just kidding. It's braising.  There is nothing like taking a beautiful, fall-off-the-bone piece of meat out of the oven after three hours of slow, steady braising. I love the smell of the reduced, aromatic cooking liquid that has absorbed all of the flavors of the meat. 

Other than searing the meat correctly and braising it at a low temperature, the only other key to braising is creating a flavorful liquid.  It will eventually be your sauce, so creating the braising liquid can be fun and creative.  I braise with aromatics, like lemongrass, chilis, dry spices, herbs, wine, even juices like apple cider.  For this dish that I made for Gothamist, I chose the smoky, spicy flavor of chipolte peppers.

I like to serve braises with something rich and creamy- for some reason braised meats to me are perfect with a comforting puree.   Parsnip puree was my mashed potato of last year (and this year, really), so I've experimented here with turnip just to try something new.  Turnip puree is earthy and has a distinctive yet mellow flavor - perfect for the massive, rich flavors of smoky chipotle and braised short ribs.

Finally, I like adding a blast of fresh herb and crunchy texture to the soft braised meat and the creamy puree.  I made a gremolata out of chopped cilantro, toasted almonds and lemon rind as the finishing touch to the braised short ribs.  Now if I could only work on the skiing part....

Recipe follows.

Ingredient Shopping List
Recipe serves two people.

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
Olive Oil or safflower oil
1 lemon
unsalted butter
4 cups chicken or veg stock
4 medium sized white turnips
7-8 short ribs, bone in, about 1 ¾ lbs
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 heaping handful sliced almonds
1 bunch cilantro
1 can chipotle peppers

Estimated cost of ingredients: $18-20 at Fairway

Make the Short Ribs

Preheat oven to 300.

Chop one small onion, two cloves garlic and two chipotle peppers, removed from adobo, the red sauce they are covered in. Reserve.

Heat oil in a dutch oven or large, heavy covered pot over high heat. Season both sides of ribs with salt and pepper. When pot is nearly smoking add ribs without crowding them and sear on all sides until they form a brown crust. Do this in batches, if necessary.

When all ribs have browned, add onions and garlic and saute 1 minute to brown lightly. Stir in chopped chipotles, about 4-5 tblsp of the red adobo sauce from the can and enough broth to just cover ribs (about 4 cups). Mix them all together gently and make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan for the browning in the pan. Bring to very hot, just before boiling. Reduce heat to gently simmering, then place in the oven for about 3 hours. Make sure to check this continually to make sure the liquid is not boiling. There should be little blips of bubbling here and there. If it is too hot, reduce the heat as this will make your ribs too tough.

Make the Gremolata

Chop two tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro. Peel the zest from a lemon and chop about 1 teaspoon worth. Toast a handful of sliced almonds in a dry pan on high heat for 2 minutes. Chop finely, about 2 tblsps worth. In a small bowl add the gremolata ingredients and season with salt, pepper and just a touch of olive oil to bring it together. Mix and set aside.

Make the Turnip Puree

Begin the make this when the ribs are about ½ hour away from finishing. Place a large pot of salted water to boil. Peel the turnips with a veg peeler and cut them into 8ths. Toss them in the water and cook until soft and tender, about 5 mins. Drain. Transfer turnips to a food processor, add a pat of butter, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Finish the Dish

When the ribs are finished cooking, carefully remove them with large tongs and set aside. Pour your braising liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a small pot. Skim the fat off of the top of the sauce. You’ll remove a good ¼ of the liquid. Take the time to do this, it’s worth it. Place the liquid back on the heat and place on simmer for about 5 minutes. Add a pat of butter, check for salt and pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Reheat your turnip puree, place a mound on your plate, place your ribs on the puree and ladle with sauce. Top the ribs with your gremolata and serve.

Comments

[mark]

I found this recipe while looking for a way to use up some chipoltes hanging in my fridge.........it's very good. I ended up with a lot of liquid so i saved it(sans fat) and used for beef stew stock with left over meat and veggies..excellent. thanks

[joe]

hey mark, great to hear! thanks for your feedback, always nice to hear what people think of my recipes. great idea using the braising liquid again - sounds excellent!

[a.]

if i want to double the recipe and put it in a bigger dutch oven, would it still be 3 hours of braising time? thanks!

[Josh]

hey man - sounds like good flavors -- i will certainly try some rendition of your recipe - so thanks!

as an aside, in addition to using stock and maybe some demi, i usually add red wine to my braising liquid. i was thinking, however, that a nice complement to the smokey chipotle flavor would be a sweet/hoppy beer or two. adsitionally, what you think about a little dry rub with cumin/chili powder?

[joe]

hey josh. dry rub could work, though i wonder if the spices wouldn't be better just sauteed with the veg before adding the meat and braising liquid. beer sounds like a good idea. a friend braises with guiness - while probably not a good idea with chipotle, another idea to think about...good luck.

[josh]

hey man - thanks for the input. havent done the chipotle short ribs yet but braised some lamb shanks and served with whipped turnips -- they were awesome. a little butter, carmelized onion, sauteed garlic, heavy cream. nice. the lamb kicked ass - but kept it pretty traditional.