Short Rib Ragu with Gorgonzola Cheese

Short Rib Ragu with Gorgonzola Cheese

This recipe was originally inspired by a lunch dish of Short Rib Ragu at Bistro La Bon in Charlotte, NC. During the holidays, I found myself craving this dish and decided to attempt a recreation.

I found a wonderful recipe on Gastronomer’s Guide for Pappardelle with Short Rib Ragu and modified it slightly, adding frozen peas in the last 30 minutes of cooking and using Gorgonzola instead of Pecorino Romano because these details were closer to the dish at Bistro La Bon.

This dish would be fantastic with the fresh pasta suggested and is also great with a quality pre-packaged pasta. I made fresh tagliatelle pasta last night and wanted a rigatoni for this dish for “something different”. The rigatoni holds the meat sauce well.

Short Rib Ragu

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 1 hr
Cook Time: 4 hrs

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 pounds short ribs bone-in, cut into 2-inch segments
  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless short ribs
  • fine sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • bouquet garni (recipe follows)
  • 4 small carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 medium shallots, diced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup port wine
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 3-1/2 cups beef stock
  • 4 oz. frozen peas (add during last 30 minutes of cooking)
  • 1 pound rigatoni pasta
  • crumbled gorganzola (or blue cheese), for garnish (optional)
  • chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Warm oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven set over medium heat. Liberally season ribs with salt and pepper. Once oil is hot, cook ribs in two batches, searing all sides until brown. Remove to a plate.

Casserole after 3 hours of cooking at 325 degrees F.

To the casserole, add carrots, celery, onion, and shallots; cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste. Deglaze the casserole with port wine, scraping the brown bits from the bottom. Add red wine; simmer until reduced by about half and alcohol has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, beef stock, and the bouquet garni. Return the browned ribs to the casserole. Bring liquid to a simmer. Cover casserole and place in oven for 3 hours, adding peas in the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Remove casserole from oven and set over medium heat. Remove the braised ribs to a plate or bowl. The meat should fall off the bone. Discard bones and the bouquet garni. Shred meat into small pieces using a fork, discarding any pieces of fat. Skim off fat from surface of the sauce or incorporate back into the ragu. Return shredded meat to the casserole. Simmer sauce until reduced by about half.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a gentle boil. Cook rigatoni until al dente. Drain pasta and divide among bowls. Top each bowl with ragù and garnish with Gorgonzola and parsley.


Bouquet Garni


Prepare the bouquet garni by combining the following on a square piece of cheesecloth. Bring corners together and tie securely with kitchen twine.

  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns