The Best Beef and Barley Soup

1.  Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Generously season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.  Add them to the pot and brown them deeply on all four sides.  Remove the short ribs from the pan and set aside.
2.  To the fat drippings in the pot, add the leeks, carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms and garlic.  Cook until the vegetables soften and begin to brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the thyme and bay leaves, then return the short ribs to the pot along with the beef broth, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper.  Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and allow to cook for 1 hour.
3.  Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water and 1/2 tsp of salt to a boil.  Add the barley, reduce the heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
4.  Discard the bay leaves and skim off the fat on the top of the soup.  Remove the short ribs and shred the meat into bite sized pieces, then add the shredded meat to the soup.  Add the cooked barley and simmer for another 20 minutes.  Taste the soup and add some additional salt and pepper as needed.  I added around another teaspoon each of salt and pepper to mine at the end.