cherry balsamic short ribs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 bulb fennel, sliced
• 1 cup burgundy
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 tablespoons beef demi-glace
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup cherry cola
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups pitted frozen tart cherries, thawed
• 1 tablespoon butter

Recipe

• preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c).
• sprinkle the short ribs with salt and pepper. heat a heavy cast-iron pot or dutch oven over medium heat until it just begins to give off wisps of smoke; drizzle in about 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. sear 3 ribs in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides. heat pot until smoking hot again, drizzle in 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, and sear the remaining ribs as before. transfer ribs to a plate and set aside. discard used oil.
• place remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pot over medium heat, and stir in the onion, celery, carrots, and fennel. sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and cook until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. pour in the burgundy ; scrape and dissolve all the browned flavor bits from the bottom of the pot. bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. stir in rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and demi-glace; stir well. mix in the chicken stock, cherry cola, and balsamic vinegar. push the short ribs into the vegetable mixture so they are about halfway covered; spread cherries over the ribs. pour any meat juices over the cherries, bring the short ribs to a boil over medium heat, and cover.
• place the covered pot into the preheated oven, and cook until the meat is tender and falling off the bones, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
• remove the ribs to a serving platter. skim fat from the cherry sauce, and strain all the cherries, vegetables, and juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. discard the solids, and return the liquid back to the pot. bring to a boil, and cook the sauce over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently; whisk in butter. serve sauce over the short ribs.