I’ve been on a short vacation and then fruitlessly hunting for deer, but before I went away, while we still had unusually warm weather, I cooked some beef short ribs on the grill in my cast iron dutch oven. I don’t know why I don’t make them more often, because even though they can be expensive, they aren’t much more expensive than a lot of the meats we eat. Beef short ribs are kind of like the pulled pork of beef, if done right. Tender and falling off the bone, short ribs are full of flavor and they make for an impressive dish whether just for you or for guests.
This time, I used the grill for all the components—browning the vegetables that go into the braising sauce and getting a nice smoky char on the ribs before the long braising.
Braised Beef Short Ribs on the Grill
This dish can also be simmered on the stovetop or in the oven. The vegetables could be roasted in the oven prior to making the braising sauce.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs beef short ribs
- 1 medium-large onion, sliced
- 2 large or 3 medium carrots
- 1 heart of celery, separated
- 4 cloves of garlic, roasted, or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 1-2 cups beef stock or bouillon (enough to cover the ribs)
- salt & pepper to season meat and vegetables
- olive oil
Preparation
- Coat ribs with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Brown on all sides on grill over direct heat. Remove to a dutch oven.
- Drizzle onion, carrots, and celery with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast on grill over direct heat, turning to prevent burning. You want to precook the vegetables until they begin to soften and have grill marks on them; they should be tender enough to be pulsed in a blender or food processor. You can set them to the side and close the grill to cook them longer without burning them.
- Place the vegetables in a blender (or food processor) with garlic, thyme, and tomato puree. Blend to a thick puree. Stir in the beef stock.
- Pour the sauce over the ribs and place the lid on the dutch oven.
- Move your coals to the sides of the grill, so your dutch oven is over indirect heat. Close the grill lid and roast for 2-3 hours at around 350° until the meat is tender and pulls away from the ribs. Add more coals as needed to keep temperature steady.
Great served with noodles.
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