The first time we made Mugnaini’s Mustardy Glazed Short Ribs, we were new to wood fired cooking. Despite making some improvisations and having less than beautiful results we were pleased with the tender meat and flavor. Since that first attempt, it has been on our list of recipes to try again. This was the weekend we put it in the rotation. However, I did not thoroughly read the recipe and about the time we needed to start dinner, I realized I should have rubbed the ribs the day before or at the very least early that day. So I rubbed the ribs and fortunately Mr. Fanatic was able to braise them the next afternoon for dinner. This is an easy recipe that just takes time. There is not a lot of technical skill required and if you have a good handle on temperature management in your oven, it is a piece of cake!
Most of the ingredients are pretty straight forward and may even be pantry staples for some.
Do rub your ribs and let them marinate in the fridge overnight if possible. Ours were about 24 hours prior to oven braising. The first time we made the ribs we used an enameled cast iron pot and it seemed much more difficult to control the level of liquid and heat. For Christmas I received the very pretty, practical and wood fired oven-safe Mugnaini porcellana baker. So this time around we used that dish. **Side note…the porcelain baker is awesome!! Cooks well and cleans like a dream. Two thumbs up from this Fanatic!**
While the ribs braise, the veggies for the BBQ sauce go in the oven to char. They take a short amount of time to develop some color and flavor. Give them a rough chop and combine with the other ingredients. Place on the stove to reduce by half. The sauce is tangy and with a vinegar flavor and a bit of heat.
After the braising time has passed, the ribs rest for about 30 minutes. Place them on a sheet tray and baste with the sauce every 5 minutes to produce a delicious glaze.
The finished ribs were pulling away from the bone and delicious. The flavor is delicious and even the picky little Fanatic in the house likes them!
I knew that I wanted to make a green vegetable to go with our short ribs and am a bit obsessed with asparagus. It is my go-to vegetable. However, today I wanted something other than my typical preparations. The braising liquid from the ribs was sitting on the cooktop along with what was left of the glaze. I hated to see all that flavor go to waste! So I took the ribs off the sheet pan (selfishly to photograph for this post) and put some of the braising liquid on the sheet pan and stuck it in the oven to deglaze. Next I put the bits of onion and jalapeño with some of the glaze on the sheet pan with the asparagus spears laid across the top. Back into the oven the pan went for some char and flavor.
The pan started to get a little dry so more braising liquid was spooned over the top. Within 5-7 minutes the asparagus was done. It stole the show!
The flavor from the braising liquid and mustardy sauce were as good on asparagus as they were on the beef. I am sure it would be equally delicious on most any vegetable you choose to pair with your short ribs.
The potatoes in the photo are not homemade. We love the scalloped potatoes from the refrigerated section at Costco. They are incredibly delicious and take zero effort. I am typically not a big fan of packaged food and tend to make most things from scratch. However, these are pretty difficult to beat!
The moral of the story is don’t waste the heat in your oven! We had our usual pizza night and just under 48 hours later used the residual heat, with a couple more logs, to quickly and easily get ready to cook something totally different. This is just one of the many benefits of having a larger brick oven, like our 36-inch Forno Piombo. It is handcrafted right here in America in Napa, California by the most amazing father/son team. Forno Piombo’s ovens are well insulated and have an interior made entirely of fire brick which creates an environment perfect for heat retention. Don’t limit yourself to just making pizza! There are so many great dishes that can be made in your wood fired oven.
I would love to hear what you have tried in your oven and how it turned out. Please share your dishes in the comments below or share them through our social media pages. Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @woodfiredfanatics.
I am not affiliated with Mugnaini ovens. It just happens that I have this baking dish and liked the idea of this short rib recipe.
Angela Barnes wants to educate fellow wood fired fanatics on cooking and technical aspects of wood fired ovens. 
