Oven Braised Short Ribs

While I don't mind vegetarian meals, I don't think that I could be totally vegetarian.  I need my meat.  I crave very rare steaks and hearty stews.  I've been making this dish for years.  I prefer thick short ribs but chuck roast works well too.

Oven Braised Short Ribs

3 lbs Short ribs cut between the bones (or large chunks of chuck roast)
2 T Flour
28 oz can of diced tomatoes ( I use 2 cans for more gravy)
1 Onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes (opt)

Mix flour with salt and pepper if you like then dredge the meat in it.  Heat a little oil in a hot skillet (or dutch oven that can go in the oven).  Brown the meat on all sides.  (If I'm lazy, I skip this step and just throw it raw into the baking pan.

Put meat in a baking pan, casserole dish or dutch oven.  Scatter onions, garlic, bay leaves, red pepper and oregano over the top.  Pour the tomatoes on top and spread evenly over the beef.  Add Salt and pepper to taste.  You can even add a splash of red wine.

Ready for the oven!

Put the lid on or cover tightly with foil.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for  3 hours.  You can serve as is or drain the liquid into a sauce pan and thicken with a cornstarch and water mixture.  Pour back over the meat.  I serve this with rice but pasta or mashed potatoes work well too.

The meat is fall apart tender.  I like a little shoyu (soy sauce) and sriracha (hot sauce) on it too.

It's a great stick to your ribs meal.  You can even put it in a crockpot on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours