Mexican Braised Short Ribs

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2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
5 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
1 cup onion, diced
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 leek, well cleaned and diced – white parts only
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional – the short ribs will have lots of flavor without them, ditch ‘em if you can’t take the heat)
1 teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano
4 carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup red wine
3 cups beef or chicken broth
One 14.5-oz can fire roasted tomato puree (or chopped)
1 12-oz container fresh pico de gallo salsa
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup cilantro, chopped plus extra for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Heat the grapeseed oil in a large ovenproof pot or Dutch Oven. Brown the ribs on all sides on medium-high heat. Once browned, remove them and set them aside.
Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onions, shallot, leek, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Sauté on medium heat for five minutes. Add the Mexican oregano, carrots, celery, and red bell pepper. Sauté for five minutes. Add the flour. Stir quickly for 1 minute until the vegetables are coated well. Add the wine, beef broth, canned tomatoes and their juices, and the pico de gallo. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes. The mixture should be thick. Add the salt, lemon juice, sugar and cilantro. Stir. Add back the ribs. Make sure the ribs are covered in sauce.
Put a lid on your pot and place it in the center of your oven. Bake for 2 ½ hours. Don’t forget to set a LOUD timer. Check once halfway through. Stir everything GENTLY, just to make sure all the ribs are covered. Once your timer goes off (you did remember to set a timer, right) take the pot out of the oven. Turn the oven off. Get a flat spoon and skim all of the fat off of the top. Depending on how fatty they were – you may need to skim a LOT of fat off. I had a full cup of fat when I was done.
Serve the ribs over mashed potatoes or rice (potatoes, definitely potatoes). Spoon a generous portion of sauce on top of each serving. Sprinkle with cilantro. PERFECTION.