Short Ribs - Without my Secret Ingredient

So, since I've been making short ribs, I have always had one secret (and secretly awesome!) ingredient: the magic braising liquid. It was a lovely gift from one of my favorite friend-cooks, Lee. He gave me the braising liquid he had perfected over the course of six braises. And, man, you could not go wrong with it!

Well, when I moved to Harrisburg, I sadly had to leave it. That's actually how it came to me. Lee was moving, and it just doesn't travel well. So, now after being in Harrisburg for a few months, I'm taking a stab at my first braise without the magic ingredient.

Here's what I used:
3 boneless short ribs (another thing I've never used before, usually I do bone-in)
1 cup of chopped carrots
1 cup of diced onions
1.5 tsps paprika
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups beef stock (low sodium)
1.5 cups red wine (separated)
1 cup water
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Oil for browning

What to do:
Salt and pepper the short ribs. Heat the oil, and when its hot, brown the short ribs on all sides (about 3 minutes per side) in a heavy bottom pan. I used a cast iron skillet. Set the short ribs on a plate. Pour out some of the oil, add about a tablespoon of fresh oil, and toss in the carrots and onions. Add about 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are a little soft, scrapping up some of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, paprika, and thyme. Cook for another minute. Add 1/2 cup of the red wine to the skillet, and make sure all of the bits are scraped off the bottom of the pan. Let the liquid reduce a little, about 2 minutes.

Preheat a slow cooker on the low setting. Once the wine is reduced, put the short ribs on the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the reduction to the slow cooker, then add the beef stock, red wine, and water. Mix thoroughly. Put the lid on the slow cooker, and set the timer for 5 hours. Once every hour, turn the short ribs. At 4 hours in, I taste teseted, and decided to cut all of the large chunks in half. I think this ended up being a good decision.

After 5 hours, I took the meat out. I took 2 cups of the braising liquid, strained out the veggies, and then put the liquid on the stove top. I added some salt, a pat of butter, and then reduced it by about 50%. I served the short ribs (to myself!) with plain couscous, roasted asparagus, and the strained vegetables, all topped with the reduction. Delish!

Even without my secret ingredient, the braise still turned out delicious. Thanks, Lee, for introducing me to short ribs!