From Celebrate!
6-8 meaty short ribs of beef, cut lengthwise between the bones, trimmed of excess fat
2-1/4 cups cider vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 cup sliced onions
2 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups beef broth (recipe follows)
2 cups good-quality chili sauce, such as Heinz
1 cup dry red wine
zest from 1 lemon removed in one long strip with a paring knife
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill leaves
8 small sprigs fresh dill, for garnish
Place the short ribs in a large bowl.
Combine 2 cups of the vinegar with 2 cups water, the garlic, onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer to blend the flavors, 5 minutes. Pour this over the ribs. Allow to cool to room temperature; stir to redistribute the ribs, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare the sauce: combine the remaining 1/4 cup vinegar and the brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan and bring it to a slow boil over medium heat. Cook until thick and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the broth. Add the chili sauce, wine, lemon zest, ginger, and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat to blend the flavors, 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a container and refrigerate, covered, overnight.
The following day, remove the short ribs from the marinade and pat them dry. Season with salt and pepper and then dust them with the flour (shake it through a fine-mesh strainer), shaking off any excess. Set the ribs aside. Strain the marinade and set it aside, covered, in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy flameproof casserole over meadium heat. Brown the ribs well on all sides, in batches if necessary, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer them to a plate. Discard the oil in the casserole and return the ribs to it. Cover the ribs with the sauce you made the day before. Bring the ribs and sauce to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Bake for 2 hours, occasionally skimming off any excess fat that accumulates on the surface with a metal spoon. Uncover and bake until the meat is falling off the bones, about 30 minutes more.
Remove the ribs from the sauce and, when cool enough to handle, remove and discard the bones and any excess gristle or fat. Pour the sauce through a gravy separator to remove the fat and return the defatted sauce to the pot. (see Note). If the sauce seems to thick, add some of the reserved marinade to thin it.
Return the ribs to the pot and cover them with the sauce. Reheat over medium-low heat and, just before serving, stir in the chopped dill. Garnish each serving with a dill sprig.
Note: You can make the sauerbraten to this point up to a day in advance. Store, covered, in the refrigerator and reheat in a preheated 350 deg. oven for 25 minutes, thinning the sauce with some of the reserved marinade if it's too thick. Stir in the chopped dill right before serving.