Cooking With Chef David Meador: Sharing one of my favorite recipes

Ask 20 chefs what their favorite dish to make and you will probably get 20 different answers ranging from frog legs to foie gras. For me, it's really a "gotcha" question that is impossible to answer. It's like asking which of your kids you like best or asking your wife which pair of shoes she favors. We all know the last pair of shoes she bought, or the pair she finds tomorrow, are her favorites. Chefs are the same way. We are always finding something new. I could change my mind about a favorite dish several times a day.

New ingredients and preparation methods come and go as often as the latest fad diet. There also seems to be an epidemic in the restaurant industry that has too many young chefs and reality shows trying to overly "play with their food." Techniques like molecular gastronomy, liquid nitrogen, sous vide cooking and white truffle foam on everything -- to me, it's just weird. Some of this food is so strange you would think they were going to serve it on the next flight to the moon accompanied by a big glass of Tang.

I believe that a classic, well-defined dish never goes out of style, and a comforting meal always soothes the soul.

The next time you are dining out and order a great dish that you would like to recreate at home, ask the chef for the recipe. Chances are the response will be, "I can't tell you or I might have to kill you." Chefs are frequently protective of their treasured recipe secrets, but while some of the appeal may be from unusual ingredients and clever combinations, most delicious results come from perfect execution. Recognizing this, I am offering one of my most requested recipes that you can make at home. Remember: it's all about good ingredients and follow

ing the process. "Slow and slow" for this recipe is the way to go. Slow cooking and a low temperature makes the meat in this dish tender and delicious.

Boneless Beef Short Ribs

2 pounds short ribs

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion, diced

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

4 cloves of garlic

2 cups red wine

2 cups beef stock

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper

Beef fat drippings

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

I like to season the short ribs with a dry rub and then dredge them in seasoned flour. Shake off extra flour. Heat a Dutch oven or other oven/stovetop safe deep pan over high heat until hot. Add the canola oil and immediately add beef. Brown beef until all sides are dark, golden brown. Remove the beef from pan and add onion, carrot and celery. Reduce the heat to medium and add garlic. Sauté until vegetables start to brown. Add the red wine to de-glaze the pan and reduce by half. Add tomato paste, beef stock, thyme, rosemary and the bay leaf. Return beef to pan, cover tightly and place in the oven.

Cook for about 3- 1/2 hours or until beef is tender but not falling apart. Remove the beef and strain vegetables out of the sauce. If you allow the liquid to sit, you can carefully ladle the fat from the top of the sauce. Return liquid to pan and simmer. Make a roux in a separate pan using beef drippings and flour. Using a wire whisk, add enough of this roux to thicken the sauce to the desired consistency. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. I always like to add a few tablespoons of butter to the sauce to give it a nice sheen and enrich the flavor.

Serve the short ribs, topped with the sauce, with mashed potatoes and your favorite vegetable.

Chef David Meador, executive chef at Renaissance on 9th, can be reached at jbjork@renaissanceon9th.org

This story was originally published March 4, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cooking With Chef David Meador: Sharing one of my favorite recipes ."