This slow-cooked, aromatic Asian-style beef short rib recipe, turns this humble secondary cut of meat into a mouthwatering masterpiece. Slow-cooked over a number of hours, the meat is fall off the bone tender and just melt in your mouth delicious. The subtle Asian flavours offset the heartiness of the beef and deliver a flavour that simply sings. The longer it cooks, the more the flavours infuse through the meat.
For the time poor entertainer, it’s a brilliant set and forget recipe that you just cannot mess up. Served with a velvety mash and garnished with spicy, hot chilli and spring onion, it’s both luscious and fresh to the taste.
Because this recipe is so moreish, it’s worth making more of as it’s even better the next day.
Ingredients
- Beef Short Ribs
- Carrots
- Red Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Spring Onions
- Chilli flakes
- Fresh Chilli
- Star Anise
- Five Spice Powder
- Beef Stock
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Cheat Sheet Tips for a fall off the bone, tender short rib
- Even though you’ll be slow cooking the beef for ages, take the time to brown the meat in advance as it seals in the goodness, and helps develop the flavour.
- The onion and carrot as an addition to this recipe may at first seem a bit at odds with the flavours of Asia. But don’t skip on adding these as they contribute both as an agent of flavour and as a natural thickener for the sauce.
- Don’t waste the green tops of the spring onions as they can add additional depth of flavour.
- Whilst this is a set and forget recipe, for absolute perfection and to get an even distribution of colour and cooking, make sure you check in from time to time to turn your meat over while cooking.
- Your pot size is critical. Make sure that your pot is big enough so that you can turn the ribs easily and that there is enough space in-between for them to cook evenly.
- Add some toasted sesame seeds when serving for a subtle nutty flavour enhancement.
Aromatic Asian-Style Beef Ribs
What's not to love about this recipe. It's rich, luscious and full of the subtle flavours of Asia. Slow-cooked to perfection, it's guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart especially on a chilly day. There's nothing quite like a secondary cut of meat slow cooked to perfection and this recipe delivers both flavour and contentment in spades.
Ingredients
- Aromatic Asian-style Beef Ribs
- 3kg Beef Short Ribs
- 2 Carrots grated
- 1 Large Red Onion diced
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Heaped Tablespoons freshly grated Ginger
- 1 Bunch Spring Onions - tops for cooking and bottoms for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon Chilli flakes
- 4 Fresh Chillis cut on the diagonal for garnish
- 5 Star Anise pods
- 2 Tablespoons Five Spice Powder
- 1-2 L Beef Stock
- 100 grams Hoisin Sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 4 Tablespoons oil and a Knob of Butter for browning
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Put the oven on fan force and preheat to 180°C
Vegetable Preparation
In a pestle and mortar, add the garlic, tablespoon of vegetable oil and chilli flakes and crush gently into a rough paste
Grate the carrots
Dice the red onion finely
Cut off the green tops of the spring onion and chop into fine rings
Beef Rib preparation
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and a knob of butter on a high stove top heat in a large casserole dish or Dutch oven
Sear off and brown the Beef Ribs in batches
When completely browned all over, remove and set aside
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the same pot and heat through
Add the diced red onion, carrot, crushed garlic, ginger, spring onion, Star Anise and Five spice powder to the pot and cook until the vegetables are sweated and translucent and the asian fragrances are released
Return the browned ribs to the pot
Pour in the stock making sure that the ribs are mostly covered by the liquid
Cover with a lid and bring to a boil
When boiling, remove from the stove and place in the oven
Cook on low for 3-4 hours checking intermittently to make sure the liquid does no boil away
If needed, top up the liquid levels with the extra stock and cook a little more
The meat is ready when it can be pulled apart gently using 2 forks, but is still holds to the bone.
Fine tuning the flavours and reducing the sauce
When the meat is ready, remove from the pot, set aside and cover with foil to keep warm
Skim off any oil that may be visible on the surface of the liquid that remains in the pot
Season with the Hoisin sauce, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste, making sure to stir it all in well to combine the flavours
At this point, if you feel that your sauce is a bit too liquid, boil it on a high heat on the stove for a few minutes to reduce and thicken as you want an a oozy consistency
When you are happy with the consistency return the ribs the pot, and gently toss in the sauce ready for serving
Garnish
Cut the red chillis into fine slices on the diagonal and set to the side ready for serving. Remove the seeds if you want them to be less spicy and hot
Cut the remaining spring onions finely on the diagonal and set aside ready for serving
Separate the leaves from the coriander stems and set aside ready for serving
To Serve
Add a generous serving of ribs over plated mash
Spoon over some sauce
Garnish with the fresh chilli, spring onion and coriander leaves
Enjoy!
Notes
Handle the cooked ribs with care because if cooked correctly, they'll be ready to fall off the bone.
