Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine (Boulud)

Source video by Fallow on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This is a classic French braised short rib recipe by two Michelin star chef Daniel Boulud, originally cooked in the oven at 140C for around four hours. Adapted here for the slow cooker, the method keeps the same flavour building stages: browning the floured meat, caramelising shallots and aromatics, reducing red wine to a syrupy intensity, then slow cooking until the collagen melts. The finishing touches of whole grain mustard and sherry vinegar lift the richness, and the ribs are served over a smooth celeriac and potato puree.

Ingredients

• 4 piecesbone-in beef short ribs, ask butcher to cut in half if very long
• 3 tbspplain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 tbspneutral oil, for browning

• 750 mlred wine, decent drinking quality
• 4 wholeshallots, roughly chopped
• 1 wholeleek, roughly chopped
• 2 stickscelery, roughly chopped
• 2 wholecarrots, roughly chopped
• 2 clovesgarlic cloves, crushed with the side of a spoon
• 2 tbsptomato puree
• 500 mlbeef stock, good quality
• 4 sprigsfresh thyme
• 2 wholebay leaves

• 1 tbspwhole grain mustard, loosened with a ladle of sauce as a slurry (add late)
• 1 tbspsherry vinegar (add late)

• 500 gceleriac, peeled and chopped (add late)
• 200 gpotato, peeled and chopped (add late)
• 500 mlwhole milk, to cover (add late)

• to tastesea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Pour the red wine into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce by about half until it loses its sour edge and takes on a slightly syrupy, cordial-like consistency. This concentrates sweetness and colour. Set aside.

   ~20 min

2. Pat the short ribs dry, then dust thoroughly in the seasoned flour.

   ~5 min

3. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole or frying pan over a medium heat. Brown the ribs slowly on all sides until you have a deep golden crust. Do not rush this; a hot pan will scorch and ruin the sauce. Remove and set aside.

   ~15 min

4. Lower the heat. Add the shallots to the same pan, cover with a lid and sweat until they release their juices and start to caramelise to a golden colour.

   ~8 min

5. Add the leek, celery, carrots and crushed garlic. Sauté until softened and any fond on the base of the pan has lifted. Avoid letting anything blacken on the base of the pan.

   ~6 min

6. Stir in the tomato puree and cook it out for a minute or two until it darkens slightly. Watch carefully as this is the easiest moment to catch and burn.

   ~2 min

7. Turn off the heat. Return the short ribs to the pan, pour over the reduced red wine and beef stock, and tuck in the thyme and bay.

   ~3 min

8. Carefully transfer everything to the slow cooker, making sure the ribs are mostly submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook on Low for 9 hours or High for 5 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and pulling away from the bone.

9. Once cooked, turn the slow cooker off and let the ribs rest in the liquid for 30 to 45 minutes. This stops them drying out and lets them firm up so they can be lifted whole.

   ~40 min

10. Carefully lift the short ribs out, keeping them intact. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a saucepan, pressing very gently so the sauce stays clear. Do not push the vegetables through.

    ~10 min

11. Bring the strained sauce to a gentle boil. Do not skim the fat; stir it back in for richness and gloss. Reduce until thickened and glossy.

    ~10 min

12. In a small bowl, mix the whole grain mustard with a ladle of the hot sauce to make a smooth slurry, then stir back into the pan. Add the sherry vinegar, taste and adjust seasoning. The sauce should be deep, glossy and balanced, not overly sweet.

    ~3 min

13. For the puree, simmer the celeriac and potato in milk with a pinch of salt until completely tender. Drain, reserving some of the milk, and blend until smooth and glossy, adding milk back as needed.

    ~25 min

14. To serve, spread a generous swoosh of celeriac puree on each plate, make a small well with the back of a ladle, place a short rib in the centre and spoon the glossy red wine sauce over the top.

    ~5 min

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