3. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion and garlic around the browned short ribs. Let the onions sweat for about 5 minutes or until they soften.

4. Add the liquid -- beer, wine or broth -- and bring to a simmer.

5. After the liquid comes to a simmer, add the herb sprigs then cover the pan tightly. Put the covered pan in the oven. (Alternately, this is the point where you can transfer to the slow cooker for 8 hours on LOW, or continue cooking on very low heat on the stovetop.) Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and coming away from the bone.

6. When the meat is done, rest in a covered pan for 20 minutes before serving. Serve by gently tugging the chunks of meat away from the bone and spooning the saucy onions over top.

7. OPTIONAL STEP -- Refrigerate overnight.

8. To reheat, cover and warm over low heat on the stove for 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe Notes

--To cook in the slow cooker, progress through Step 4, then transfer the meat, onions and liquid to a slow cooker insert. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.

--Instead of transferring the pan to the oven, you can also cook the short ribs on the stovetop. Keep the pan covered and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 hours, checking liquid levels intermittently and making sure the bottom isn't scorching.

--You can get creative by using a stronger spice rub, different kinds of beer (I like the slight bitterness an IPA provides), red wine or sherry. You can use soy sauce and mirin with Chinese five-spice; you could go Spanish with smoked paprika and Rioja.

(Faith Durand is a writer for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to kitchn@apartmenttherapy.com.)