A snow day calls for a hearty meal of braised short ribs paired with a big meaty Syrah. I gave my delicious short rib sliders a Paleo friendly make-over.

My Paleo Pairing for day 29 features Short Ribs & Syrah! The Cakebread Cellars Syrah is outstanding with this dish. A great bold, jammy & spicy Zinfandel would also do the trick. Check out some of my go to Zins here.

INGREDIENTS 

8 short ribs (trimmed of excess fat)
Salt  & Pepper
2 tbls. olive oil

4 carrots
4 stalks of celery
1 large yellow onion
1/2 medium fennel bulb
4 sprigs rosemary & thyme
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bottle dry red wine (Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhone, Chianti)
1 qt. low-sodium, gluten-free chicken stock
1 tbsp. juniper berries
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 350°

In a large dutch oven, drizzle a thin layer of oil over medium heat. Pat dry meat with paper towels in order to get a better sear. Generously coat short ribs with salt and pepper.   Once the oil has a slight shimmer place the short ribs in pan and let brown on all sides – about 4-5 minutes per side. Patience is key here. This is where all the flavor develops.

While the beef is caramelizing, place carrots, celery, onion, garlic and ½ the fennel bulb in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

Once beef is browned on all sides, remove from pan.  Add chopped veggies to the beef rendering and caramelize for 10-12 minutes.  Once veggies are caramelized, add tomato paste and let cook 2 minutes.  Add red wine and deglaze pan. Let reduce for 10 minutes.  Add 1 quart low sodium chicken or beef stock, rosemary & thyme bundle, juniper berries and bay leaf and stir.  Gently place short ribs in dutch oven. Make sure there’s enough liquid covering all the ribs. You can add extra stock if needed.

Cover dutch oven and place in oven at 350° for 4 hours. Check halfway through the cooking process and turn the meat and ensure it’s fully covered.  Serve short ribs over smashed sweet potatoes.