Bacon-Wrapped Braised Short Ribs with Cheesy Grits

Comfort food is always best when it’s cooked to perfection.

Our bacon-wrapped braised short ribs served with cheesy grits is the comfort food you need to have on your menu this winter. 

Bacon-Wrapped Braised Short Ribs with Cheesy Grits

Everyone knows the winter months are perfect for comfort foods. You know, those rich, hearty, and gratifying comfort foods that seemed to satisfy like a big warm, soothing hug?

And make no mistake here in The Worthey House we are big fans of all things comfort food, like our Bacon-Wrapped Braised Short Ribs with Cheesy Grits. We are giving you total comfort food goodness with this one. 

Recently, I have been trying to perfect my short rib braising technique and also refining my cheesy grits recipe.

There’s nothing like falling off the bone short ribs, and a good pot of cheesy grits is pretty much the embodiment of what good comfort food should represent. 

When comfort foods give you all the feels, transporting you back to a time when food made with love was all the medicine you needed to feel safe, warm, and loved.

With this recipe, it’s all about preparing food that is in and of itself an expression of a loving gesture, so take your time and enjoy the process.

These short ribs were braised using red wine, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a whole heap of onions and garlic. That’s it!

Now, these cheesy grits are so ridiculously FLAME! Made them with three kinds of cheese, vegetable broth (chicken bone broth is good too), butter, and half-n-half (heavy cream rocks in this recipe too).

These grits are Creamy. Buttery. And insanely extra savory and all kinds of stupid cheesy!

This is a meal that soothes your soul. It is one of those meals that is pretty simple but feels luxurious, like your spoiling yourself. It’s both rustic and somehow decadent at the same time. So good!

Purchasing your beef short ribs

The best beef short ribs have lots of meat on the bone and are beautifully marbled with fat. I called my local butcher shop and had these babies special ordered.

I asked the butcher to cut from the top of the short ribs where the sections are meatier, and the bone is thicker.

Larger bones translate into more bone marrow which means a juicer, tenderized, and intensely flavored ribs. I also salted these short ribs the night before and let them sit in the fridge overnight.

It’s a great technique but salting them up to an hour beforehand is good too. No worries we’re to have fun, right-o-matic?

Red wine, balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil add magic to this recipe.

Make it rain, baby! That’s right let the love rain down on these thick-cut bacon-wrapped beef short ribs, and this story will have the very happiest of endings.

Adding a fresh herb like rosemary is never a misstep, rosemary and beef go hand in hand. 

Covering the short ribs with lots of sliced onions also goes a long way in adding lots of savory flavors, as the onions cook they will release much-needed liquid to ensure these short ribs come out tender and juicy.

I also added three large cloves of chopped garlic, and when is adding lots of garlic ever a bad thing?

This is a great recipe for the winter months, and when you add the cheesy grits, now we’re talkin’ square biz.

Protip: Tuck a length of parchment paper over the beef short ribs and along the side, this will help keep the moisture low in the Dutch oven where the magic happens. You want to make these ribs in a Dutch oven. 

I learned this little trick from watching the Netflix docu-series Salt, Fat, Acid, Meat. If you didn’t already know, Samin Nosrat is the truth. 

Also, pick up the book by the same name, it’s filled with lots of helpful tips and some pretty awesome recipes.

How to make Bacon-Wrapped Braised Short Ribs with Cheesy Grits

Ingredients:

• 8 short ribs
• 8 strips thick-cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1/3 tablespoon freshly cracked black peppercorns
• 2 1/2 cups red wine
• 1 1/2 cups beef bone stock or beef broth
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large sweet onions thinly sliced using a mandoline
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced

Equipment:

• Dutch Oven
• Mandoline
• Parchment Paper

Directions:

1.  Salt the short ribs and add the freshly cracked black peppercorns.
2. Place the Dutch oven over med-high heat and add two tablespoons of vegetable oil. 
3. When the oil is hot, brown the short ribs on all sides; brown 3-4 short ribs at a time to avoid crowding the pot. 
4. Remove the short ribs and set them aside. 
5. Add a half stick of unsalted butter into the Dutch oven with 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, and use a wire whisk to combine. 
6. Keep whisking, and add the red wine, beef stock, and balsamic vinegar; stir until the rue is dissolved into the wine and beef stock mixture. 
7. Add the onions and garlic, wrap the short ribs with thick-cut bacon and place them in the Dutch oven; make sure the liquid isn’t covering the short ribs. allow the meat to marinate for 15 minutes. 
8. Preheat over to 325 degrees.
9. Tuck a length of parchment paper over the short ribs and along the sides, making sure the parchment paper is laying flat over the meat. 
10. Place the lid on top of the Dutch oven.
11. Put the Dutch oven onto the center rack and cook for two and one-half hours (2 1/2).
12. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and allow the meat to rest for fifteen to twenty minutes.
13. Remove the lid and peel away the parchment paper. 
14. The meat should be tender; use a fork to gently pull the meat away from the bone to check tenderness. 
15. Serve. 

This is a perfect dinner for a casual dinner party entertaining, recently I hosted my cousin and her beau, and this dinner menu was an absolute hit! 

MENU

Thick-Cut Bacon Wrapped Braised Beef Short Ribs 

Brussel Sprouts with Mixed Vegetables 

Three Cheese Creamy Grits {get the recipe here}

Have you tried this combo before? If not, give it a try and come back and let me know!