How to Cook Your Way Into a Man's Heart

You know the clique saying the way to a man's heart is through his stomach? That is certainly true with my husband, he knows that I love him when I cook dinner and pack his lunches. Last night I cooked him his favorite meal, ok rather my slow cooker cooked it for him. That is why I love a slow cooker, put the meat in, put whatever else the recipe calls for, then set and forget it until dinner time. Also yesterday was a rainy, cooler day so short ribs was perfect for dinner. I found this recipe in the America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution book. The result of  these short ribs are tender and melt in your mouth. I made some cheddar cheese grits as the base, then layer some steamed garlic spinach and top it off with the short ribs. Add a little bit of the sauce from the short ribs if you want. 

First, gather together your ingredients. 5 bone-in English style short ribs, about 2 pounds, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 onions, chopped medium, 1 carrot, chopped medium, 1 celery rib, chopped medium, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 cups dry red wine, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 cups low-sodium beef broth, and 2 bay leaves.

Plug in your slow cooker. In your Dutch oven or a heavy-based cooking pot, add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until smoking. 

While the oil is warming up, salt and pepper the short ribs on all sides. 

Brown half of the ribs on all sides then transfer to the slow cooker.

 Finish browning all of the ribs. Add more oil if necessary. 

Using the same cooking vessel, add in the chopped onion, celery and carrot, otherwise known as a mirepoix,  tomato paste and thyme and cook until the onions are softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.

 Add in the flour and cook for 1 minute. 

Slowly add in the wine and the balsamic vinegar, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot. 

Use a whisk to smooth out any lumps in the mixture. Let the sauce cook and reduce until about 1 cup. Add the entire mixture to the slow cooker.

 Add in the beef broth directly to the slow cooker along with the bay leaves. Let the short ribs cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

 Then serve, eat and enjoy!

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