Milk and Honey Braised Short Ribs

With a bit of pre-planning, you’ll be the star of your next potluck, gathering or family dinner with this flavorful meal.

This is a dish that takes its time — but all for good reason. First, comes our slightly sweet, milk-based brine to tenderize this tough cut of meat. Then, a low and slow braise in the oven in herb-infused beef stock creates deeply rich flavors that you’ll want to linger over. (Braising refers to searing the meat and then simmering it on low in a cooking liquid for a longer period.)

The combination of these two methods leaves the braised short ribs so tender, they’ll fall apart on your fork. It’s the ultimate cool-weather comfort dish.

What to serve with braised short ribs:

• Buttery Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

• Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad with Creamy Peppercorn Dressing

• Greek Potato Salad

• Broccoli Cheddar Crockpot Mac n’ Cheese

• Creamy Baby Portobello Green Bean Casserole

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Milk and Honey Braised Short Ribs
Start to finish: Active: 1 hour 30 minutes | Inactive 21 hours 30 minutes
Impresses: 8 

Ingredients
4 cups whole milk, divided
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 sprigs rosemary
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1½ cups dry red wine, divided
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, with the top cut off
2–3 cups beef stock
3 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs thyme 

Method

2 days in advance
Pour 1 cup milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Once milk is warmed to steaming, add honey and kosher salt, stirring until dissolved. Continue cooking milk until small bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Remove from heat, and add garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs and peppercorns. Let aromatics steep in milk at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add remaining 3 cups milk to a large, lidded container. Pour in steeped milk and all aromatics, stirring to combine. When milk is no longer warm to the touch, add short ribs, arranging to ensure all ribs are completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 18 hours, up to 24 hours. 

1 day in advance
Heat oven to 300 F. Set a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add grapeseed oil and heat until shimmering. Remove ribs from brine, discarding the liquid. Pat ribs dry with a paper towel and season generously on all sides with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Sear ribs on all sides until deeply golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove ribs to a plate, and set aside.

Lower heat to medium, and deglaze the Dutch oven with about ½ cup red wine. Scrape the Dutch oven to remove browned bits from the bottom. Add onion and garlic. Nestle ribs into the Dutch oven, and cover with remaining wine and enough beef stock to cover the tops of the ribs. Add rosemary and thyme. Cover the Dutch oven, and bake in oven for 3 hours. Ribs should have pulled away from the bone and be fork-tender. Allow pan to cool to room temperature before placing in refrigerator overnight. 

The day of
Heat oven to 350 F. Pull short ribs out of the refrigerator. There will be a solidified layer of fat along the top of the short ribs and pan drippings; scrape this off and discard. Recover the dish and place in oven, heating until warmed through, about 30 minutes. While the ribs reheat, make mashed potatoes. (See recipe on pg. 46). Serve braised short ribs and pan drippings over potatoes.

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