Short rib stew

This is yet another recipe from Alton Brown on the Food Network. It took a long time to cook and a bit more involved than a "regular" stew, but it was worth it!!!! Some may have a problem with the tomato paste and vinegar and Worcestershire sauce being "Paleo" ingredients.

NOTE: I altered the recipe a bit by omitting potatoes and adding carrots and celery and an additional onion.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup tomato paste


• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar


• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce


• 1 tablespoon paprika


• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbs, any combination of thyme, oregano and rosemary


• 3 pounds English-cut short ribs


• 1 tablespoon plus


• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided


• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced


• 5 Carrots sliced


• 2 ribs celery sliced


• 2 cups beef broth


• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and dried herbs. Set aside. Season the short ribs with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt. Place a large griddle(I used 12" cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat and once a drop of water bounces off, sear the meat until browned on all sides. So not crowd the meat. You may need to do it in batches. Once browned, remove the meat to the bowl with the paste and toss to coat. Transfer to a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and seal tightly. Place the package into a metal pan and put into a cold oven on the middle rack. Set the oven to 250 degrees F and cook for 4 hours. Remove the meat from the oven and carefully poke a hole in the pack while holding it over a heatproof container. Drain the liquid into the container and place it into the refrigerator to cool enough so that the fat separates from the rest of the liquid, approximately 1 hour. After 1 hour, transfer the liquid to the freezer and keep there until the fat cap has solidified, approximately 1 hour. Allow the ribs to sit at room temperature while the liquid is cooling or if serving the next day, place in the refrigerator until ready to finish. Retrieve the liquid from the refrigerator and remove the fat cap that has formed on top. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the fat and reserve the rest for another time***. Place the fat into a large saucier or a pot if making a more watery stew (like I did) and place over medium heat. Once the fat has melted add the onion along with the remaining teaspoon of salt and stir to separate the onions into rings. Allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining vegetables veggies and a pinch of black pepper and stir to combine. Next, add the liquid reserved from the meat, the beef broth and stir. Cover tightly and decrease the heat to low so that no heat is escaping the lid. Cook for 30 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender. Meanwhile, cut the meat away from the bone, removing the connective tissue and discarding. uncover and set the meat atop the vegetables. Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

***The Fat created is so aromatic it is awesome to cook with! I used it in the sauteed cabbage.