Short Rib and Brie Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Pickled Red Onions

Remove the short ribs from the refrigerator and let sit for at least one hour. You want them to get to room temperature.

Season the short ribs with a good amount of salt. Remember to season high, to reduce some areas getting salt heavier than others.

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat.

Working in batch, brown the short on all sides, until they begin to crust. You want those bits of beef on the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the short ribs to a lined sheet pan, or stack them on a lined plated.

Add the celery, carrots and onion to the pan. Saute, stirring often, until they begin to soften and brown. Approximately 5 minutes.

Add wine, broth, sherry, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Bring to boil. As it comes to a boil scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Those little bits are flavor.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the short ribs back the pan. You will need to prop them up on their sides, to create a single layer.

Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Using thongs, flip the short ribs over and simmer for another 1 ½ hours.

Remove pan from heat. From the short ribs from the pans and let cool. The pan sauce than remains, is a good starter for a stew, once the herbs and oil have been removed.

Remove meat from the bones. Either discard the bones or save them in the freezer for beef broth.

Using the back of your knife, scrap any excessive patches of fat from the meat. It should break away fairly cleanly.

Cutting across the grain, slice the short ribs into ½ to &frac3/4 inch slices.

This can be done 2 days ahead and the meat stored in the refrigerator. When you are ready to assemble, pull the meat out and reheat until lukewarm.

Melt the butter, a large stainless steel skillet, over medium-high heat.

Add onions, sprinkled with salt and pepper, saute until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently.

Add the vinegar and sugar, until the vinegar has almost been absorbed the onions. Approximately 1 minute.

Season with salt and pepper. Transfer onions to a bowl and let cool.

This can be done 2 days ahead time. When you are ready to assemble your sandwiches, reheat the onions until their are lukewarm.

To make life easier, butter all of the bread on one side and place the butter side one a lined sheet pan.

Divide the shredded pepper jack cheese amoung 4 of slices of bread.

Divide the short ribs mixture by placing it on top of the shredded pepper jack cheese.

Divide the carmelized onion mixture, by spoon it on top of the short ribs.

Cover the onions with ¼ inch slices of Brie, to cover the onions.

Cover the Brie with handful of the baby arugula.

Spread the Dijon mustard on the unbuttered side of the four remaining slices of bread and then place on top to form your sandwiches.

Heat stainless steel skillet of medium-high heat.

Working in batches, cook the sandwiches until the bread is golden brown and the cheese begins to melt. Approximately 3 minutes per side. After the first flip, take a stainless steel bowl and cover the pan, to help trap the heat and melt the cheese.

Using a serrated knife, cut each sandwich on the diagonal and stack one half on top of the another.

Serve with parmesan garlic fries or roasted sweet potato fries.