Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Heat the olive oil in a wide braiser or Dutch oven over medium heat. Pat the beef short ribs dry and sprinkle them generously with kosher salt. Working in batches if necessary, place the short ribs in a single layer in the braiser and brown them well on all sides. This should take several minutes per side; don’t rush—developing a deep, flavorful sear is worth the time. Once browned, remove the short ribs and set them aside.

Reduce the heat under the braiser to medium-low. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add the minced onion and sauté for 4–5 minutes until it becomes soft and golden brown. Stir in the finely chopped garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Carefully pour in the bourbon whiskey to deglaze the pan, bringing it to a simmer while scraping up any browned bits from the bottom—these add lots of flavor.

Add the balsamic vinegar, packed brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the pan, stirring well to combine. Pour in the beef stock. Return the browned short ribs from Step 1 to the pan, nestling them into the braising liquid. Cover the braiser or Dutch oven with a lid and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 2½ to 3 hours, or until the ribs are extremely tender and nearly falling off the bone. Check every hour, spooning off excess fat from the surface and basting the ribs with the braising liquid to keep them moist and succulent. I always recommend taking your time with this part—the low and slow cook yields incredibly tender meat.

While the ribs are in the oven, prepare the horseradish cream sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, grated horseradish, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, kosher salt, and ground black pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve. I find that chilling the sauce allows the flavors to meld and really makes the tangy bite of the horseradish pop.

Once the short ribs are done, remove the braiser from the oven. Spoon off as much fat as possible from the surface of the braising liquid. Spoon some of the reduced braising liquid over the short ribs to glaze them, and transfer the ribs to a serving dish. Serve the short ribs hot with the horseradish cream sauce from Step 4 on the side. For an extra touch, I sometimes sprinkle a little freshly chopped parsley on top for color.