Friday, September 25, 2015

Borscht-Braised Beef Short Ribs – It Sure Beats Beets

Even though I often joke about naming dishes a certain way to help with the search engines, I rarely actually do. Mostly because I don’t get a bonus for extra traffic, but with this borscht-braised beef short ribs, I fully admit to intentionally not using the “B” word.

I would hate for someone who thinks they hate beets to not even watch the video. I figured if we could trick them into at least seeing the dish in all its colorful glory, they’d simply have to give it a try. Unless they don't like beets, and gorgeous things.

By the way, I can totally relate to the “I don’t eat beets” people, as I am one. I’ve never been a big fan, but in certain things, like borscht, I love them. With that simple soup as an inspiration, I thought the flavors would work nicely with the rich, fatty short ribs, and they sure did.

Will this be enough to change your mind about beets? There’s only one way to find out. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 portions:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces, seasoned generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup cubed carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 pound beets, cut in large pieces (about two large ball sized beets, cut in eighths)
2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- Optional step: when you taste your finished sauce, if you want to add some acidity to balance the sweetness, adjust with a splash of white vinegar.
- Garnish with sour cream and chives

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Next time add dill! Nothing better than beets and dill :)

etherdog said...

Dear Chef John, in all the Slavic languages from which this dish derives, there is no "t" in borsch.

cloetta said...

I can´t seem to get hold of short ribs here in sweden., what piece of meat can I replace it with?

Ps love your videos!

Kind regards from sweden

Unknown said...

I'm not a beet guy either, but this looks amazing! Next time I'm thinking of doing pot roast, I believe I'll do this instead.

Azi said...

@Coletta
I would try beef shanks, sliced like the Italians do for osso-
Just make sure it's beef and not veal.

the garden master said...

Made this last night and it won rave reviews, my own tastebuds included. Thanks for doing these video recipes, they make my Saturday culinary adventures so much fun.

modestmunky said...

Hi Chef John, I love the youtube channel and watch it almost every day. I know I could ask this elsewhere but, what is kosher salt, and why do you use that over other salts?

rodentraiser said...

Finally! Carnivore food. But it has.........beets. Maybe I can do this with potatoes.

Dave said...

I'm a bit disappointed, Chef John. No joke after saying you used some "fat beets?" I think you might be slipping.

arwiv said...

When making a braised meat dish chuck roast never fails....though it surely isnt short ribs.

Jacek said...

Dear Chef John, should I shorten time of cooking when I use boneless short ribs? Please, respond ASAP because im doing this tonight.

Chef John said...

Maybe a little, but don't go by time, cook until fork tender! enjoy!

Unknown said...

Yeah you're not that smart...you're BRILLIANT!

Unknown said...

Thank you for a great recipe. This turned out amazing. I added more onions and lots of chopped garlic. It was really wonderful over the potatoes as well as the black rice. Usually the meat doesn't taste this good until the second day. I hope I have enough left for tomorrow for those who missed it tonight. This is a great fall and winter recipe and I will be making it often. Thank you!!

Zachary G said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I made this last night and it was fantastic! I've made borscht several times and this rendition has been my favorite by far.

Vivelefrancais said...

Sorry, just can't do the beets....potatoes? With a little red wine for the pretty color?

James Lee's International Culinary Tour said...

Did you peel the beets before adding them? Or did you just throw in as is?

James Lee's International Culinary Tour said...

Did you peel the beets first? Or did you just cut them and throw them in as is?

Unknown said...

All we are saying,...
Is give beets a chance....

Unknown said...

So I just attempted to make this and my pot literally exploded. Turns out ceramic can't go over a gas flame? BUT I did not give up and order pizza as Chef John would have recommended. The salvaged catastrophe is currently roasting in the oven.

Mike said...

I've enjoyed delicious borscht in Ukraine, and knowing that the dish can freak some people out, I was excited to come across this recipe that makes beets more approachable. Absolutely delicious, and made some converts out of people who have never tried or enjoyed beets before. Thanks Chef!