Food Hussy Recipe: Pioneer Woman's Hussified Short Ribs

Every time I go to a restaurant – if I see short ribs on the menu – I get them. Case in point: Incline Public House, Jefferson Social, Capital Grille, bluezoo and many more to come. I finally decided I needed to try to make my own.

I was home on a weekend and had short ribs and was trying to find a recipe that I could make with things I already had on hand rather than having to go to the store – I finally found a recipe from Pioneer Woman that was close enough for me so I could put my own spin on it. 🙂

I had been out on a farm tour and came across a local farm that had short ribs for sale so I bought a pack – I figured if I wanted to try them – I should try locally sourced ones! They are beautiful – right? You start by sprinkling them with salt & pepper on both sides.

Then in a hot dutch oven with olive oil in the bottom you place the short ribs and sear them for just a couple of minutes…

Then flip and sear for 1-2 more minutes on the other side. You want a nice golden brown – the bones will start to peek out at you. Remove the ribs and place them on a plate.

Now we’ll build the sauce – first a big can of crushed tomatoes…

then – in place of red wine & onion – I added a can of French Onion soup. I am not a wine drinker so I never have any on hand – I usually substitute with chicken or beef broth but in this case – I thought the french onion soup would be a good substitute.

Add a little sugar…

tomato sauce,

ground thyme & salt –

then stir stir stir. This will be the base of the drooling to come…

Now you’ll add those succulent seared short ribs to the sauce!

Now you’ll bake for a few hours – slow & low – that is the key – the sauce gets much richer and darker and the ribs will finish cooking and be fall-off-the-bone ready for you!

After a few hours – here you have it! You’ll notice the oil layer on top – just use a baster and filter that off. You’ll want to use tongs to get the ribs out because they will fall apart the second you touch them. That’s how you know it’s ready!

I served them over linguine with freshly grated Parmesan. These short ribs totally fell off the bone and were super tender and delicious. It was a labor of love – but actually really simple – just time consuming. I will still order them any time I’m out – but at least now I know how to make them myself!

Pioneer Woman’s Hussified Short Ribs in Tomato Sauce

(adapted from Pioneer Woman)

8 whole Beef Short Ribs
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 can French Onion Soup
1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
1 can (14 Oz. Size) Tomato Sauce
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
1 pound Linguine
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Minced Fresh Parsley

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high to high heat. Sprinkle short ribs with salt and pepper. Brown short ribs in oil, about 1 1/2 or 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.

Pour off excess oil (be careful!) then add tomatoes, tomato sauce, soup, salt, and thyme. Stir to combine.

With tongs, set short ribs back into the pot, submerging as much as possible in the sauce. Cover pot and place into the oven. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Short ribs should be tender and falling off the bone.

*Remove ribs from pot. Allow to cool, then wrap tightly and refrigerate. Allow pot of sauce to cool a bit, then place pot into the fridge for several hours or overnight. Remove hardened fat/grease from the top. Discard fat. Return ribs to pot, then return pot either to stovetop or oven and warm it up.

Boil pasta according to package directions. Turn pasta onto a large platter, then top with tomato sauce and short ribs. Sprinkle plenty of Parmesan over the top, as well as some chopped parsley.