Crock Pot Short Ribs

As my friend recently told me, crock pots are a gift to the modern, working woman who is still getting delicious meals on the table. My crock pot was one of the first things I purchased once I had enough space and it has served me so well over the years. From chilis to stews to braises like this, it saves so much time, and you wake up in the morning to glorious smells of dinner already done!

I made a few additions to the original Bon Appetit recipe that only called for mushrooms, and added a mix of onions, carrots and celery and wow, did this turn out delicious as always. You can serve this over polenta, couscous, or just with a side of mashed potatoes. I happened to have some polenta left over (in the freezer, no less) and so just heated that up and topped it with the beef. Let’s be serious, the real star here is the braised short ribs!

Ingredients

4 1/2 pounds 3-inch-long beef short ribs
Coarse kosher salt
2 cups dry red wine
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 6-ounce package sliced button mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, peeled
6 fresh Italian parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
Crusty bread

Directions

Sprinkle ribs with coarse salt and pepper. Place in even layer in slow cooker. Add next 9 ingredients, cover, and cook on low heat until meat is tender, about 8 hours.
Using slotted spoon, transfer ribs to serving bowl. Discard parsley and bay leaves. Spoon fat off top of sauce and pour sauce over ribs. Serve with bread.

Serves about 4

Adapted from Bon Appetit “Braised Short Ribs”