I Was a Beef Short Rib Virgin…

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. (Mae West)

Our meat locker was looking a little bare after the excitement of Christmas, so LM and I took a wee trip out to G.R.U.B. yesterday. It’s a wee bit of a hike for us, but so very worth it when we get there.

I spotted some lovely looking beef short ribs while we were there. Ribs definitely are a fattier cut of meat, but when you know the provenance of your product, I’m learning to celebrate the fat!

For the uninitiated, here’s a wee diagram of where beef short ribs come from:

I seem to keep falling over recipes for short ribs – mainly on North American blogs, where ribs are so very popular – but I’ve never cooked with them. Well, not until today, that is! 

I chose to adapt a recipe from the very talented Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo because her recipes just work! She calls for a slow cooker in her version. I think I’m one of the 6 people in the world for whom slow cookers just don’t cut it. I’m not even sure I can articulate why that is. Maybe it’s because I just love my le Creuset so much? Who knows? I had a slow cooker once upon a time. I gave it away to my lovely neighbour.

Anywhoo – back to the short ribs. As with most slow cooking I do, I made a lot. I figure if you’re going to take the time to cook something for a long while, you may as well have leftovers to freeze. So, I bought just over a couple of kilos of ribs (about 4 1/2 pounds worth). If you’re making this recipe in your oval le Creuset, this amount fitted perfectly!

And, I gotta tell you, like Mae West – when it comes to short ribs – I’ve drifted. Seriously good! Seriously rich. And, LM has given his nod of approval, too.

[recipe title=”Korean Beef Short Ribs” servings=”4-6″ time=”4 Hours” difficulty=”easy”]

Ingredients

2 x kilos grass-fed beef short ribs, give or take (my lovely butcher chopped all mine in two. Much more manageable)
salt & freshly ground pepper (omit pepper if on AIP elimination)
1 x medium pear, cored, and chopped coarsely
1/2 cup coconut aminos
6 x garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3 x spring onions, roughly chopped
1 x thumb-sized chunk of ginger, peeled and cut in two
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon coconut vinegar (or vinegar of choice)
3/4 cup bone broth (or stock – best quality available)
Handful of freshly chopped coriander as garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper. In a large casserole dish (with a lid) brown meat on both sides

3. Pack the ribs in a single layer in your casserole dish.

4. Place the chopped pear, coconut aminos, garlic, spring onions, ginger, fish sauce, and vinegar into a blender and purée until smooth. Pour evenly over the ribs and add the broth to the casserole dish.

5. Cover with the lid and pop into the oven for 21/2 – 3 hours.

6. Remove the lid and pop back in the oven for a further 30 – 45 minutes.

7. Remove the meat from the casserole and place onto a serving platter.

8. Let the braising liquid settle for 5 minutes before skimming off some of the fat. Check for seasoning and pour a cup of sauce over the ribs.

9. Sprinkle over the freshly chopped coriander. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.[/recipe]

We served our short ribs with kumara mash and roast broccoli.

By the way – how cool is this new print thing-amy WordPress has designed for recipes?