6 YEARS OF JAYNI'S KITCHEN : A Look Back
Slow Cooker Beef Country-Style Ribs with Zinfandel, Chocolate and Rosemary
Ingredients
- 3 ounces bacon (3 or 4 strips), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 pounds boneless beef chuck country-style ribs
- salt & black pepper
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups Zinfandel (red wine)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 or 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- -ounce (about 1 tablespoon) bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Sauté the bacon in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove the bacon and reserve, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Raise the heat to medium-high and brown the beef ribs on all sides, a few at a time (do not crowd). Transfer the browned ribs to a platter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the ribs in a 7-quart slow cooker. Add the chopped onion, shallot, carrot and celery to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the vegetables until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. (If the skillet is dry, add a tablespoon of olive oil.) Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up the browned bits. Pour the wine and vegetables over the ribs. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and reserved bacon. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Check the beef ribs for tenderness after 6 hours of cooking. If not tender, cook for 1 hour more.
Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the ribs to a large platter or baking dish. Pour the wine broth through a strainer into a large bowl and discard vegetables and herbs. Cool the wine broth and skim as much fat from the broth as possible. (For best results, cover and refrigerate the wine broth for several hours or overnight to allow the fat to congeal so that it can be easily removed. Place the beef ribs in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to continue the recipe.)
Pour the wine broth into a Dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. (You should have about 4 cups of broth.) Stir in the bittersweet chocolate chips, unsweetened cocoa and chopped rosemary. Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the beef ribs in the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes, or until ribs are heated throughout. Serves 8.
Serving suggestion: Serve the beef ribs with mashed potatoes.
Recipe by Jayni Carey, Copyright, 2007.
