Short Rib Bourguignon w/ Pappardelle

If you are looking for something to make for your significant other or a group of people, AND you want to blow their minds, AND you want them think of you as the world’s greatest cook, then THIS IS THE RECIPE!

If you are trying to get proposed to…THIS IS THE RECIPE.

If you want to impress your new inlaws…THIS IS THE RECIPE.

If you want to shock and amaze yourself and learn what you are truly capable of in the kitchen...THIS IS THE RECIPE.

For the love of all things delicious, please set aside a few hours on a Saturday and make this incredible sauce. You will thank me. I promise.

When my husband had his first bite, he said “ WOW.. this tastes expensive!!” and that’s the most accurate description possible. This is the type of dish that you would order at a very high-end Italian restaurant. The flavor is incredibly complex and PERFECT. This is one of those dishes that you can literally taste the love that was poured into it with every bite. It’s a masterpiece…that I can only take partial credit for because Julia Childs was my inspiration.

If you know ANYTHING about good food, you have most certainly heard about Julia's FAMOUS and timeless Beef Bourguignon. I took the concept and process of that recipe and merged it with some of the flavors of Short Rib Ragu! Both are incredibly delicious on their own, but I may have taken both to a new level because this sauce is euphoric. My husband has always appreciated a good Italian sauce — it’s one of his favorite things — so when it crossed my mind to use short ribs in Julia’s Beef Bourguignon and turn it into a sauce to pile over gluten free pappardelle pasta, I just knew I had to make it happen.

I will warn you though, once you have your first bite, no other sauce will compare and you’ll find yourself in the kitchen making this for every special occasion. Toss out that jarred stuff because you’ll never go back.

Boeuf Bourguignon is typically beef with red wine, bacon, onions, and mushrooms. We aren’t mushroom eaters so I left them out, BUT they would taste wonderful in this recipe if they are your cup of tea. There are two ways to go about adding them. The first would be to add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of finely chopped mushrooms in with the carrots, celery, and onions (adding them to the pot at the same step). OR, if you want to do it the Julia Childs way you would quarter and sautéd the mushrooms in butter and then stir them in after the Bourguignon spends its time in the oven.

First and foremost, before we talk about the steps in making this dish, we need to talk about using a Cast Iron Dutch Oven. It’s ESSENTIAL to use one for this recipe.

Years ago, I acquired my first Le Creuset and is was one of the best purchases I have ever made. At that time I was skeptical of the cheaper brands as they always have some bad reviews about the enamel on the pots chipping. About 8 months ago I purchased an Enameled Cuisinart Dutch Oven to compare to my Le Crueset and I did a lot of research on the differences between the two pots.

I landed on this fact. Le Creuset and Staub cost more for one reason: they have more layers of enamel on them. Which essentially means that they will hold up longer. BUT I will tell you, even with the most loving care even they begin to stain on the inside and will slowly age. Yes, they can technically last a lifetime, but they will show age little by little if you are actually using them.

The cheaper brands that are 1/3 the price are made from the same exact cast iron and I have found these pots work EXACTLY the same. Side by side they are almost exactly the same weight. I have had zero issues so far with my cheaper Cuisinart Dutch Oven chipping. It heats beautifully and performs just as well as my Le Creuset. The reality is that it will age faster since it has less layers of enamel BUT I can tell that I will be able to count on getting a number of years out of it as long as I continue to care for it properly.

So, all that to say that if you want to make this recipe, but it’s just not in the budget to get an expensive Staub or Le Creuset Dutch Oven, THAT IS OK! Grab one from Lodge or Cuisinart. It will perform beautifully!! I also wanted to note that enameled cast iron isn’t required. Even Without the enamel, they will still work perfectly. In the end, you just need a CAST IRON DUTCH OVEN of some sort.

If you make this recipe as written, a round 6-quart Dutch oven will be the perfect size. If you want to double the recipe, I would suggest using an Oval 7-quart Dutch oven instead

For the wine, be sure to avoid anything sweet! A balanced or dry red will work best. I went with my go to brand (and favorite), which is Apothic Red.

For the pasta, you can use any brand that you prefer. I found this Gluten Free Pappardelle on Amazon!

If you are looking to make this as a lower carb meal, I would recommend serving it with mashed celery root. The flavors would taste awesome together. OR if you really want to go all out make the Low Carb Fettuccine from my new book The Ultimate Keto Cookbook.

Last but not least, this recipe is not hard but it is a bit of a process. DO NOT try to take shortcuts and throw it in the Instant Pot. Take the time to make it with LOVE. The payoff will be worth it. I promise!!

Also, this is a very HIGH FAT sauce, so you will be removing quite a bit of fat after removing it from the oven. This is not a diet food, but I promise it’s worth the splurge. :)

For the BEST possible flavor, make this sauce one day in advance so that the flavors can fully develop! While this sauce could be served with parmesan cheese, I don’t find it to be necessary - the flavor is so rich and perfect all on its own!

Saucy Short Rib Bourguignon with Pappardelle Pasta

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Yield: 6 servings

Author: Brittany Angell

Ingredients

• 6 Slices Thick Cut Bacon
• 1 Tbsp Mild Flavored Oil (likeAvocado Oil orRefined Coconut Oil)
• 3 lbs Bone In Beef Short Ribs (this ended up being about three 2 1/2 - 3 inch long ribs).
• 3 Small/ Medium Carrots, Finely Chopped
• 3 Ribs Celery, Finely Chopped
• 1 Large Red Onion, Finely Chopped
• 8 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tsp Dried or Fresh Rosemary (if fresh, chop it!)
• 1 Tsp Dried or Fresh Thyme
• 1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
• 3/4 Tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Tsp Himalayan Salt
• 2 Tbsp Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour (or regular all purpose flour).
• 3 Cups Red Wine
• 1 Can (14.5 oz) Organic Diced Tomatoes
• 3/4 Cup Beef Broth
• 2 Tbsp Organic Tomato Paste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Chop the Bacon into 1/4 inch wide pieces and boil the bacon for 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from water and dry with a paper towel. During this time chop all your vegetables and store them in a bowl together. Mince the garlic and add it to a small bowl with all the spices, salt, and pepper measured out. Set aside.
2. Turn heat to medium under your Dutch oven and heat the pan with 1 tbsp of mild flavored oil for a few minutes. Add the bacon to your Dutch oven and cook for 3-4 minutes until just crisp and some of the oil has cooked off of the bacon. Set the bacon aside in a large bowl. (Later we will be adding the short ribs to this bowl!). Leave the bacon fat in the Dutch oven.
3. Dry the short ribs with a paper towel and make sure they don’t have any water or moisture on them. Turn the heat up until almost smoking. Add them to the hot Dutch oven and sear them for about 5 minutes on each side, or until you have a perfect golden crust on each side of the short ribs.
4. Place the seared ribs in the bowl with the bacon and set aside. Keep all the fat in the Dutch oven that has been left behind from the bacon and short ribs.
5. Add the carrots, onions, and celery to the Dutch oven. Saute over medium heat until lightly browned. Add the garlic, spices, salt, pepper, and all purpose flour and saute for an additional 5 minutes. (If you go too long the spices will begin to stick and burn! Once they start to stick you know it’s time to deglaze with your liquids! Have them pre-measured out and ready to go!).
6. Add the bacon and short ribs back to the pan, stirring to make sure the bacon is mixed in with the veggies.
7. Pour in the wine, can of tomatoes, and beef broth. Keep the heat on and as the liquids warm up, deglaze the pan by gently scraping the bottom to remove the stuck bits so they incorporate into the sauce. Bring to a simmer, place the lid on top and then turn off the burner and place into the preheated oven.
8. Braise for 3 hours. During this time you do not need to open and check the pot or the oven! Just leave it alone to work its magic.
9. After the 3 hours, remove from the oven. Allow the Dutch oven to cool down with the lid off for 10-15 minutes. Pour off most of the fat (there will be quite a bit!).
10. Remove the ribs from the pot and carefully remove the bones. Finely chop the meat.
11. Add the chopped meat back to the pot. At this point, give it a taste and adjust the salt if you want more. If you want your sauce to be a bit thinner you can add some additional beef broth or water. If you want a bit more tomato flavor, an additional tbsp of tomato paste can be added. If you add anything new, be sure to simmer on low for about an hour to fully incorporate the flavor.
12. For the best flavor, store in a sealed container overnight. More fat can then be skimmed off the top once it has cooled in the fridge. Reheat over medium-low heat before serving (again, the liquid amounts can be adjusted at this point if you wish!) and serve over pasta of choice.

Notes:

It’s important to take the time to chop the meat versus shredding it! I tested out the shredding method (by putting it into my mixer!) BUT, I found that the meat tends to stick together. When chopped, it works better when served with pasta