• Pat ribs dry and season generously with kosher salt and cracked pepper. Heat dutch oven and when it's hot add the oil. Sear the ribs well on each side, turning only after each side gets nice and brown. You may need to do this in batches. As they're done, remove to a plate and set aside.
• Remove all but a couple tablespoons of drippings from the pan. Add diced onion, carrot and celery. Stir and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, letting everything get nice and soft. Add garlic, herbs and peppercorns and stir 30 seconds more, til fragrant.
• Turn heat up to medium high and add the port. Let that bubble, stirring occasionally and scraping any browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half. This should take about 5 minutes.
• Once reduced add stock. Stir. Nestle the ribs into the juices making sure they aren't completely submerged.
• Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and place in a 250°f oven. Cook for 2 1/2-3 hours, checking ribs at the 2 1/2 hour mark. They should be very tender and pull apart with no resistance. If not, let them go another 30 minutes and check again.
• Remove ribs from the liquid and set aside to cool slightly.
• Strain the cooking liquid, discard solids, and return liquid to a saucepan. If you want to get rid of some of the fat you can try spooning it off the top or you can use a gravy separator. It's not necessary, but I prefer to get rid of some of it. Alternatively you can make it ahead (directions below) so that the fat floats to the top and solidifies which makes it really easy to separate.
• Add cherries and bring to a simmer. Simmer as long as it takes to reduce the sauce by half.
• Scoop 2 Tbsp of cherries from the sauce and reserve. Puree the remaining sauce until smooth. Whisk butter into sauce until it's smooth and silky. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. Return reserved cherries to sauce.
• Remove short rib meat from the bones and discard bones and any large pieces of fat and cartilage. Place meat in the pot with the sauce and gently simmer just until meat is warmed through.
• Serve short ribs and sauce over mashed potatoes, celery root puree or polenta. Garnish with fresh parsley.

To Make Ahead:

• Prepare the recipe through step 7. Cool the meat in the strained juices. Once cool pull the meat from the bones discarding bones and any big pieces of fat or cartilage. Store the meat and sauce separately, covering tightly, in the fridge up to 2 days ahead.
• When ready to finish: remove meat and juices from the fridge.
• Skim hard fat from surface of the juices, add cherries and bring to a simmer. Let simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced by half. Scoop 2 Tbsp of cherries from the sauce and reserve. Puree the remaining sauce until smooth. Whisk butter into sauce until it's smooth and silky. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. Return reserved cherries to the pan.
• Place ribs in the pan with the sauce and gently simmer just until ribs are warmed through.
• Serve ribs with sauce over mashed potatoes, celery root puree or polenta and garnish with fresh parsley.
• Enjoy!