To my mind, there are few things more
delicious than fall-off-the-bone beef short ribs. And this dish,
simmered in hearty red wine along with sweet-and-tart guava juice,
provides a lovely blend of savory with a hint of fruit—perfect to
compliment the beefy ribs. Especially when paired with potatoes, over
which you can spoon that heavenly sauce.
This dish—as well as all pot
roasts—is best made a day in advance, both to allow the flavors to
blend, and also to make it easy to skim off all the excess fat once
it’s cooled.
Feel free to substitute some other
sweet beverage for the guava juice if you like: another fruit juice,
Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, whatever strikes your fancy. (Note that I
ended up adding a can of beer—not pictured in the ingredients
photos—towards the end of the cooking, as it needed more liquid and
I didn’t want to open another bottle of wine, and more guava juice
would have made the ribs too sweet for my taste.)
Short Ribs
Braised in Red Wine and Guava Juice
(serves 8)
Ingredients
4-5 lbs. beef short ribs, at room
temperature
salt and black pepper
flour for dusting the ribs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
3 onions, coarsely chopped (I only used
3 of the 4 pictured)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bottle hearty red wine
1 can guava juice
1 can beer (or other liquid—additional
wine, stock, juice, or water), if needed
Directions
Season the short ribs with salt and
pepper, then dust them with flour.
In a large Dutch oven or similar pot,
heat the oil over medium heat till shimmering, then add the beef
ribs, making sure they are in a single layer and don’t crowd each
other. (You’ll likely have to do this in two batches.) Fry until
all side are browned, turning as needed, then remove to a baking pan
or bowl.
Add the chopped carrots and celery to
the fat in the pot and fry over medium heat until starting to brown.
Use a slotted spoon to remove to a bowl.
Add the chopped onions to the pot and
fry over medium heat until starting to brown. Remove to a bowl—or
the same bowl as the other veg.
Return the short ribs (and any
accumulated juices) to the pot and add the guava juice. Then pour in
enough wine so that the ribs are covered by at least an inch of
liquid. (This may or may not be a full bottle of wine.)
Bring the pot to a boil, then turn down
the heat to low and cover. Simmer for about two hours—until the
meat is tender and starting to fall off the bone, stirring
periodically and making sure the meat isn’t sticking. Add a can of
beer (or something else) toward the end if needed to keep the meat
mostly covered with liquid.
When the meat is done, add the cooked vegetables, along with the chopped garlic, to the pot and continue to
simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Let the pot cool to room temperature,
then place it in the fridge. Once the fat has congealed at the top,
scrape off as much as you easily can with a spoon. But don’t stress
too much about getting it all, as it does add flavor to the dish.
(And be sure to save that yummy fat, as it’s great for frying
vegetables!)
Reheat to a simmer, then serve the ribs
with the gravy spooned over roasted or mashed potatoes, or whatever
starch you prefer.
🌱 🍋 🌿
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MURDER, LOCAL STYLE
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Orchid Isle Mystery #2
WATERS OF DESTRUCTION
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while enjoying the entertaining mystery."
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Also available
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MOLTEN DEATH
Orchid Isle Mystery #1
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2025 Lefty Award Finalist
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Booklist
This first book in my brand-new Orchid Isle mystery series features retired
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A SENSE FOR MURDER
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“An enjoyable read for mystery mavens and foodies alike.”
--Kirkus Reviews
Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops,
the Law, and Cooking for RBG
is the 2024 Silver Medal Winner for both the
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-Foreword Reviews (starred review)
"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."
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All of the Sally Solari Mysteries (as well as my other books) are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.
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