A Favorite Restaurant in Atlanta inspires My Braised Short Ribs Sunday Supper Recipe Share (2024)

JCT restaurant's Braised Short Ribs

were simply the best meal I have had in a long time.
This dish and restaurant inspired me to cook and share

my own Braised Short Rib Recipe,a Sunday Supper post

JCT's Braised Short Ribs

JCT's has the best co*cktails to boot

We just returned from Atlanta for their Fall Design Market at the design center ADAC to launch ourRoot Cellar Designsfabrics now offered in the Bradley USA showroom. Visiting this Georgian city included a whirlwind of activities, and we topped off our celebrations with a shared dinner with a large group of designer friends at restaurant JCTKitchen. The neighborhood in Atlanta is design-rich, a hip area referred to as the West End. Set on the railroad tracks the appropriately named JCT (Junction) evokes an old fashioned train stop, but the food and ambiance are more nouveau and delicious. I was smitten with the decor of the restaurant, the spectacular lighting throughout, the friendly bartender and the even more accommodating waiter. however, the food was the star and each and every dish, from the bread and maple butter at the start to the braised short ribs served over mashed potatoes, left me satiated and inspired. Returning home to New York and heading into the first fall week, we begin a busy season and of course we are hungry.

New Yorkers look at their food in seasonal chunks, and fall brings heartier fare. When done well, braised short ribs are the perfect meal, so I attempted to re-create that perfect short rib recipe remembering the delicious dish I ate at JCT. I tweaked a recipe I have had dogeared in the pages of my cooking books for some time, but this time I added fresh cut cherry tomatoes (take the seeds out) a bit more full bodied red wine and other surprises. Marinating the ribs overnight seems to pack a lot of flavor and stretch out the work from one day to another. I have to admit my short ribs were divine, but I also must confess that my own food never tastes as good as when served in a stylish restaurant with great friends and traveling and exploring a new city, so today I give the prize to JCT. But, seriously give my recipe a try because my family says it may have been the single best dish I have ever made. That counts for something, especially with these tough critics I cook for regularly. The success of the dish could be attributed to it being the very first meal I cooked in my brand new renovated kitchen in New York City. The kitchen gut-then-renovation was a long time coming, and we turned this kitchen around in three weeks, from brand new cabinetry to a new floor, all new appliances, new counter top and back splash. Look for for the kitchen renovation soon here on the blog when we will profile the stages from start to finish.

Cooking Braised Short Ribs is a bit time consuming but you can prepare it in chunks, and take it to the very last step before guests arrive (the part where you put it in the glass pan, strain the sauce and cover the ribs with the sauce) then all you have to do is simply broil it just before serving. That way, you won't be frazzled when entertaining for a dinner party, yet an added bonus--people will be completely floored at your cooking skills.

Happy Entertaining

Happy Nesting

XO Tamara

sneak peeks of our almost finished kitchen renovation in NYC

pan searing is key to lock in the juices of the ribs

cooking these short ribs on my brand new oven

1 cup chopped of carrots

2 stalks chopped celery

10 garlic cloves chopped (I like garlic)

handful of cherry tomatoes

(cut in half and squeeze the seeds out of them)

1 bottle of full bodied red wine

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

handful of Italian parsley

two big pinches of dried oregano

cracked black pepper

kosher salt

2 cups beef broth/stock (I use a carton variety)

flour

vegetable oil

2 TBS tomato paste

Step 1 - the night before

sear and marinate overnight

In a large, deep frying pan heat the oil to high heat

lightly sprinkling the short ribs (patted dry) with flour, salt and pepper.

Sear the ribs till browned well on both sides. Take out of the pan and set aside. Brown the onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes and celery in the same pan with the juices. After the vegetables are translucent, add the the bottle of wine, the tomato paste and the herbs and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes. Put the short ribs in a shallow pan and cover with the sauce and vegetable. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

Step 2--Next morning cooking begins:

pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the short ribs to a large pan (I have a deep Calphalon pan but Le Creuset or a seasoned cast iron would be good as well) and add the beef broth. On top of the stove bring to a boil then simmer, then put the entire dish (covered) in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. Take the cover off of the pan for the last hour, stirring every 15 minutes checking to see if the meat if tenderizing and falling off the bone. Keep all the meat covered in juice/liquid. Some of the liquid should cook down to a thicker broth by the end.

Step 3--A couple hours before guests arrive:

Take it to this last step and you can simply broil before serving.

Take it out of the oven. Turn off oven. Pull the meat out of the pan, discard any bones that have fallen off the meat, but leave the ones that are intact. Arrange the meat back into that pyrex you used to marinate the meat the night before (washed of course). Strain the juice through a metal strainer and pour it on top of the meat, cover with aluminum foil and leave on the stove top ready for the last step.

Step 4--Broil just before serving:

Tamara's Braised Short Ribs

Guests arrive you boil the water for the noodles, heat up the fresh or frozen peas in the pan and turn on the broiler. Take the aluminum foil off and set on the top rack and broil the meat on both sides, watching diligently and caramelizing the meat. Serve with the sauce ladled on the meat, noodles and peas.

just in time to feed hungry guests