Danny Meyer’s current favorite dish  is cola-braised short ribs, a Southern favorite made by Blue Smoke Executive Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois, who grew up in a small town outside New Orleans.

5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, 7-8 inches long

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 small onions, halved and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 cups)

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 –inch chunks (about 2 cups)

2 celery stalks, cut into 1 1/2 –inch pieces (about 2 cups)

6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1 bay leaf

10 fresh thyme sprigs

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups cola (not diet)

8 cups beef stock

4 to 6 servings, with leftovers

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 14-x-16 inch roasting pan set over two burners on medium-high heat. Add the ribs, in batches, and brown on all sides, about 20 minutes, then remove them from the pan.

Drain off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pan, until the color darkens. Add the ocla, turn the heat up to high, and boil for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring a few more times to make sure it doesn’t stuck or burn.

Add the stock, bring to a boil, and add the ribs. Reduce the heat to medium-low so that the liquid is barely simmering, cover the pan tightly with foil, transfer to the oven, and braise for 2 to 2 1/2  hours, or until the meat is fork-tender.

Skim the fat form the broth (The ribs and vegetables can be cooked up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated; remove the hardened fat before proceeding.)

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ribs ot a platter, along with the vegetables, and cover to keep the meat from drying out while you reduce the sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme springs. Boil the liquid over high heat until it is reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, return the meat and vegetables to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, or 30 minutes if the ribs have been refrigerated, spooning the sauce over the ribs to glaze them. Serve.

[Excerpted from Family Table, by Michael Romano and Karen Stabiner.]

__________________________________________

From Ed Levine:  www.seriouseats.com prides itself on finding the best version of any dish. The site’s J. Kenji Lopez-Alt spent months developing the definitive chocolate chip cookie. Here’s the recipe and the research that led up to it.

NYTable Staff