Red Wine Short Ribs with Mushrooms

I have a secret -- short ribs are really, really, really easy to make. They just sound like they are complicated and froufrou-y. Do you know what the key is to juicy, tender, melting short ribs? Time, baby, time. If you pop your short ribs into the oven for an hour, they will be tough and dry and you'd probably feel bad giving them to your dog to gnaw on. However, if you put them in a slow cooker on low for 12 hours you will end up with short ribs that slide right off the bone when you go to pick them up, meat that falls apart if you even whisper at it (you will whisper at it, you'll be whispering sweet nothings when you open that lid and take a whiff).
So all you need to do is gather the ingredients, put them in your slow cooker, and then forget about it for 12 hours. Easy.

Serves 4


Ingredients:

• 6 short ribs
• 1/2 bottle red wine (I used Shiraz)
• 2 cups water
• 1 fresh sprig of rosemary
• 12 white mushrooms

* I use water and not broth because I find that broth, even the low-sodium kind, is too salty for this kind of cooking. We want to leave an unadulterated red wine taste in these ribs!




Directions:

1. Clean your mushrooms by wiping them down with a damp paper towel. Slice the stems halfway down to cut off the dry ends, then chop each mushroom in half. 
2. Place your mushrooms in the slow cooker followed by your short ribs and the sprig of rosemary. Pour the red wine and water into the slow cooker then turn it on low. Cook this for 12 (or more!) hours. 
3. When you are ready to take the ribs out, use a pair of tongs to take them out of the slow cooker, then using a slotted spoon take out the mushrooms as well. 

How to serve it:
I placed a big spoonful of mashed potatoes in the middle of each plate, then topped it with 1 short rib and 3 mushrooms. If you want a juicier plate, add a spoonful or two of your reduced red wine from the slow cooker.

I found that when I went to remove the ribs from the slow cooker they were so melty that they literally fell off the bone back into the sauce, so my servings were less of a rib and more like spoonfuls of melt-in-your-mouth meat.

Enjoy!