Season short ribs generously with kosher salt. Place them on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours minimum, 48 to 72 if you can. The pepper goes in later, with the braising liquid. Preheat oven to 275°F.

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil and sear the ribs on all sides until deeply browned. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding.

Add onions and carrots to the pot. Sauté until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 8–10 minutes.

Deglaze with white wine and simmer 1–2 minutes. You'll know all of the bits have released when you run your spoon over the bottom of the pan and it feels smooth. Add cola, demi-glace, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, and the whole black peppercorns. Pour in veal stock until ribs are nearly submerged. Raw wine throws a sharp scent that pushes your face back. Step away a few seconds, then come in from the side. You'll know it's ready when that scent is gone and you smell the wine's own fruit instead.

Cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Braise for 3–4 hours, flipping the ribs halfway through. They’re done when a paring knife slides in with no resistance.

Remove the ribs to a container. Strain braising liquid and discard solids. Chill both the meat and sauce overnight.

Skim fat from the chilled braising liquid. Transfer to a wide skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce for about 1 hour, or until it coats a spoon.

Warm the chicken stock in a saucepan with the Parmesan rind. Simmer gently to infuse, then keep it warm and remove the rind before using. You're looking for a bare simmer: small bubbles breaking the surface, not a rolling boil. Keep it warm the whole time. Cold stock into hot rice stops the cooking, and the grains end up done on the outside and chalky in the middle.

In a separate wide pan, melt 2 tablespoon of the butter. Add the minced shallots and cook until translucent, not browned.

Stir in the Arborio rice and toast lightly, 1 to 2 minutes. The grains go from chalky white to translucent at the edges with a white dot left in the center. That dot is what holds the bite at the end.

Deglaze with the champagne and cook until absorbed.

Ladle in the warm Parmesan-rind stock one scoop at a time, stirring until each is absorbed before adding the next. Continue 18 to 20 minutes until the rice is creamy with a slight bite. One ladle at a time is the whole technique. Pouring it in boils the rice instead of agitating the starch out of it, and that starch is the only thing making it creamy.

Off the heat, stir in the remaining 3 tablespoon butter and the Parmesan. Season with sea salt. Tilt the pan: it should move like a slow wave and settle flat, and a grain should give with a firm center.

Reheat ribs in the sauce. Serve over creamy risotto. Spoon sauce over top and finish with fresh herbs and a soft grind of black pepper at the table. That grind is the only pepper you actually smell, since the peppercorns in the braise gave the sauce its depth and left their aroma behind hours ago.