Quick Braised Short Ribs with Gravy

This is a shorter, and even tastier, version of the braised short ribs I had previously posted.  We didn't have any of the standard braising veggies (carrots & celery), so I took a shortcut which ended up paying off.  I didn't think I'd be able to pull this off in time for dinner and somehow managed to get some tender results, so this is how I'm making this dish from now on if I can get away with it.  I also made a gravy from the sauce, which was Ken's second favorite part (the tenderness being the first favorite).  Many praises from Ken, which means this is a definite keep.  

• 2-3 full strips of boneless short ribs
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup port wine
• about 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp flour

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Heat the cooking oil on a hot pan or heavy pot.  Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper.  When the oil is hot enough, sear the short ribs on all sides.  If you're like me and don't have a Dutch oven, transfer the beef into a pan that will accommodate the amount of cooking liquid and tall enough to completely cover to the meat.  In my case, I used a meatloaf pan.  Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the meat and let it soak for a few minutes.

While the meat sits in the balsamic vinegar, add the beef stock, vegetable stock and port wine to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping off any meaty bits that got stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Pour this liquid into the pan over the beef.  Cover the pan with foil and place into the oven for about 2 hours. 

For the gravy, start with a roux by melting the butter in the pan and mixing the flour into the melted butter.  Slowly add about 1 cup of the braising liquid from the beef and stirring until you get your desired consistency.  This should already have plenty of salt in it so you won't need to add extra.  Add pepper to taste, if desired.

The beef should be tender enough to cut with a fork.  I served this with smashed potatoes flavored with 2 pats of butter and about 3 tbsp of creme freiche.  The gravy is great with the potato.  Also on the side were 3 baked beets, slightly salted, and a cabbage-shitake-egg stir-fry (yes, very random for this meal, but I needed to use up the veggies from our most recent box).  This was so easy to do and a lot less effort than the last version.  Let me know what you think if you make this!