Michelle’s Slow Cooker Short Ribs with Gravy   marydukecooks.com

This recipe cooks all day in the slow cooker. When you come home from work your house will smell divine! The recipe is from my dear friend Michelle Ellis.

Michelle’s Slow Cooker Short Ribs with Gravy

2 ½ pounds bone-in short ribs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup sliced then halved yellow onion
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled and chopped
⅛ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
½ cup red wine (I use cabernet Sauvignon)
½ cup beef broth (I use Campbell’s)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 bay leaves
Garnish: chopped flat parsley leaves

Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Brown short ribs on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Please don’t crowd meat or it will steam instead of browning. Cook meat in batches. Remove ribs from pan and place in slow cooker.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to same skillet. Heat oil until hot. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add carrots and celery; cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook 30 seconds. Pour vegetables on top of meat in slow cooker.

Deglaze pan with wine. Remove pan from heat and add broth, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir to combine. Pour over vegetables. Tuck bay leaves under vegetables. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook 6 hours on Low heat.

Make Short Rib Gravy (Recipe follows). Serve with mashed potatoes. Garnish with Italian parsley.

Short Rib Gravy

2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
Liquid from slow cooker

Mix cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Set aside. Remove meat, vegetables and bay leaves from slow cooker and place in a serving dish. Keep or discard bones from meat. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Pour liquid from slow cooker into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture stirring constantly until gravy is thickened.  Pour gravy over meat and vegetable mixture. Serve with mashed potatoes. Serves 4-6 persons.

Tip: This recipe can be used to make roast and gravy. Use a 3 ½ pound sirloin tip roast. Cut roast into 3-inch X 2-inch rectangles and brown on all sides. Follow recipe for the rest of the ingredients except decrease balsamic vinegar to 1 tablespoon. (Roast has less fat than short ribs. It doesn’t need as much vinegar to cut the fat flavor.) Cook in a slow cooker for 6 hours on High heat. Serves 6-8 persons. Enjoy!

Published in The News and Neighbor on March 9, 2019