Cola braised short ribs make a super rich dish, great for a special dinner party or date night. It’s time consuming, but so worth it! Sometimes I adjust some of the recipe’s measurements: I may use less garlic, swap out ‘sherry vinegar’ for the ‘red wine vinegar‘ and use risotto instead of polenta. I swap out the type of cheese in the polenta, depending on what I have on hand. Use a good bottle of red wine, one to also drink with the dish. It doesn’t have to break the bank.
Ingredients
For the short ribs:
- •1.8 Kg (4 pounds, about 8 ribs) beef short ribs
- •45-60 ml (3-4 tablespoons) olive oil, or as needed
- •10 ml (2 teaspoons) coarse salt, or to taste
- •5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground black pepper
- •1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- •4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- •4 medium celery stalks, chopped
- •4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- •30 ml (2 tablespoons) tomato paste
- •473 ml (2 cups) dry red wine
- •473 ml (2 cups) cola soft drink, full sugar
- •473 ml (2 cups) unsalted beef stock or broth
- •6 thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
- •6 parsley sprigs, plus more for garnish
- •4 fresh or dried bay leaves
- •28 grams (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- •10 ml (2 teaspoons) red wine vinegar
For the Polenta:
- •125 grams (1 cup) polenta
- •473 ml (2 cups) whole milk
- •118 ml (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
- •28 grams (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- •Salt and pepper, as needed
Preparation
- For the short ribs: Remove short ribs from refrigerator 30 minutes before preparing. Preheat oven to 163°C (325°F). Pat short ribs dry. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the ribs. Working in batches, add short ribs and cook until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate, reserving drippings in Dutch oven; set short ribs aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrots, and celery to drippings in Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add a bit more oil if dry, not enough juice/fat. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and tomato paste evenly coats vegetables, 2 minutes. Add red wine; bring to a boil over medium-high. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken slightly 3 minutes. Add cola and beef stock; bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low, add short ribs back into Dutch oven, coating in sauce, one layer if possible. Tie together thyme and parsley sprigs using kitchen twine and add into pot; add bay leaves. Cover and bake for 2 hours.
Uncover Dutch oven, and continue cooking, undisturbed, until sauce starts to thicken and reduce and short ribs are very tender when pierced using a fork, about 45 minutes.
Transfer short ribs to a plate. Place Dutch oven over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vinegar. Season with salt to taste. Return short ribs to Dutch oven; cover and keep warm.
For the polenta: In a medium saucepan, combine milk with 473 ml (2 cups) water. Bring to a bare simmer, just until bubbles form around edges; be careful not to boil or burn. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in polenta. Cover and cook 10-15 min, stirring occasionally. Add Parmesan cheese and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve polenta in shallow bowl, topped with sauce and 1-2 ribs per serving.