Beef Short Rib French Onion Soup

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

8 meaty beef short ribs

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup butter

8 sweet onions (such as Vidalia®), sliced and separated into rings

2 quarts beef broth

½ cup sherry

12 sprigs fresh thyme

1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, thinly sliced

2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese

Mix flour, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a bowl. Dredge beef short ribs in the seasoned flour mixture. Reserve 3 tablespoons of leftover seasoned flour.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and pan-fry the beef ribs until browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat down to medium and melt butter in the pot; cook and stir sweet onions in the butter until soft and slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Stir constantly and reduce heat if onions begin to burn.

Stir 3 tablespoons of reserved seasoned flour mixture into the onions and cook and stir for 10 minutes; pour in beef broth and sherry. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until soup is slightly thickened; season with more salt and black pepper, if desired.

Strip leaves from thyme sprigs and add leaves to the soup. Gently return short ribs to the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer soup until ribs are tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Stir soup every hour or so.

Preheat the oven s broiler.

Ladle soup into oven-safe soup crocks, placing a short rib into each bowl. Top soup with 2 slices of French bread per bowl and sprinkle about 1/4 cup of Gruyere cheese over each crock.

Place crocks under broiler until cheese is browned and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.