7 to 8poundsbone-in beef short ribs, cut into individual ribs
Kosher salt
2whole heads garlic, excess outer paper removed, cut in half horizontally
5large fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved
2medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
2carrots, peeled and chopped
1celery stalk, chopped
1 (4inch)knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins
12allspice berries, lightly crushed
1cinnamon stick, snapped in half
12sprigs fresh thyme
1sheet konbu*
6cupslow-sodium chicken stock
6tablespoonsred wine vinegar
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 325°F.
In a medium saucepan, bring red wine to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup of liquid. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Season short ribs liberally with kosher salt on all sides. Place seasoned ribs in a large roasting pan (mine was a 15" pan), bone facing up. Scatter the halved garlic, shiitakes, onions, carrots, celery, ginger, crushed allspice, snapped cinnamon, and thyme sprigs over the ribs. Snap the konbu into smaller pieces and add to the pan.
To the cooled, reduced red wine, add chicken stock and red wine vinegar, stirring to combine. Pour mixture over the the ribs. The liquid should come about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way up the sides of the meat. Cover the pan tightly with several layers of foil. Transfer to the oven and cook until the meat is fork tender (can easily be broken apart by a fork, 3 1/2 to 4 hours).
Take the ribs from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Let cool for several minutes. Using tongs, pull the ribs from the liquid and place in a separate bowl. Pour liquid through a fine mesh basket strainer into a large bowl. Discard solids.
Let the liquid settle then skim the fat off the top. To make this task easier, I let the liquid cool a bit then placed it in the freezer. The fat quickly congealed on top and I skimmed off with a spoon. You should have about a quart of liquid remaining.
To glaze the ribs, preheat an oven to 375°F. While the oven is preheating, bring the strained liquid to a boil in a medium saucepan. Place the ribs in a roasting pan in an even layer. Pour the hot liquid over the ribs then transfer to the oven. Cook until the ribs are well glazed, basting frequently (spoon the liquid from the bottom of the pan over the ribs). The glaze should be shiny and thick (but not sticky). This should take 20 - 30 minutes. Season to taste with additional kosher salt.
Serve ribs hot with extra sauce on the side.
Notes
* Konbu (or kombu) is dried, edible kelp. You can find konbu online or at an Asian market. Konbu comes in many shapes and sizes. I would recommend getting the large sheets (about 6" by 6").