Cherry Balsamic Short Ribs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Sprinkle the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy cast-iron pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until it just begins to give off wisps of smoke; drizzle in about 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Sear 3 ribs in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides. Heat pot until smoking hot again drizzle in 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and sear the remaining ribs as before. Transfer ribs to a plate and set aside. Discard used oil.

Place remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pot over medium heat and stir in the onion celery carrots and fennel. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent stirring frequently about 8 minutes. Pour in the Burgundy wine; scrape and dissolve all the browned flavor bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half about 10 minutes. Stir in rosemary thyme bay leaves and demi-glace; stir well. Mix in the chicken stock cherry cola and balsamic vinegar. Push the short ribs into the vegetable mixture so they are about halfway covered; spread cherries over the ribs. Pour any meat juices over the cherries bring the short ribs to a boil over medium heat and cover.

Place the covered pot into the preheated oven and cook until the meat is tender and falling off the bones 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Remove the ribs to a serving platter. Skim fat from the cherry sauce and strain all the cherries vegetables and juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard the solids and return the liquid back to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook the sauce over medium heat until thickened about 10 minutes stirring frequently; whisk in butter. Serve sauce over the short ribs.