It's a little cooler outside; you have some time on your hands and are thinking you have a delicious bottle of red lined up for tonight. Then you think, I'm liking the idea of the house filled with all those amazing aromas that come with slow-cooked beef short ribs. Well, this simple recipe that takes only minutes to prep is going to tick all your boxes!
Why I Love This Recipe
- minimal preparation required
- flavour, flavour and more flavour
- can be prepared in advance
- your house will smell AMAZING
If those are enough reasons to get this slow-cooked beef short rib dish cooking, then I'm not sure what will help then. This recipe with a few simple Asian pantry items is so easy to whip up. Marinating the ribs helps develop layers of flavour, and the fact that you can make it in advance and reheat it for a dinner party also takes the stress levels down a few notches. Not to mention the aromas that are wafting through your home is only going to make the neighbours jealous!
Beef Short Ribs
What Are Short Ribs
Short ribs are a smokers' or slow-cookers prized possession. They contain a large amount of fat/marbling and typically require low/slow methods of cooking to tenderise them. They are located on the lower part of the cow's rib cage, known as the short plate, just being the brisket.
Cooking Methods For Short Ribs
As mentioned cooking, short ribs are typically done low n slow. This means braising - where food is typically browned/seared first and then cooked in a liquid inside a heavy-bottomed dish (like a dutch oven) or a slow cooker. Or, smoked on a BBQ - where the temperature is kept low, moisture is added through a tray of water and smoke through chunks of wood. It's a slower process but boy, is it worth it. Here are a couple examples below.
Smoked Short Ribs w/ Chimichurri
In Asian cooking, beef short ribs with a high level of marbling are often sliced thinly and cooked over the grill. These are typically marinated for 24 hours to tenderise the beef. Then, they are cooked over a hot firey grill for maximum flavour.
What To Serve With Slow-Cooked Short Ribs
So, you have gone to all the trouble to slowly cooked these delicious short ribs and are wondering what to serve with them...
For my Asian version, I would recommend some simple steamed rice and maybe a refreshing smashed cucumber salad. The braising liquid works perfectly as a sauce, and the rice will soak it all up, but the freshness of the cucumber balances the flavours out greatly.
Makersvine
What's not to love about Makersvine? They focus on finding small batch, minimal intervention wine sourced from family & artisanal winemakers throughout the world. Anthony, the owner of Makersvine, has worked for decades in the wine industry, meeting the right people, which helped open the doors to source many wines you won't find anywhere else in Australia.
So, if you are looking for quality, personal service and wines you won't pick up in the local bottle shop, then Makersvine is your go-to! Anthony & co strives to give you the best wine experience possible. Getting to know Anthony through social media and chatting personally, I can just feel the passion he has for the wines he stocks. From what I have been fortunate enough to taste, he is certainly able to walk the walk too 😉
Wine Pairing
For me, being from Ireland, I miss drinking European wine that isn't crazily overpriced. With this beautiful Nebbiolo from Mauro Sebaste, I am feeling a few steps closer to home!
The 2017 Sebaste Nebbiolo d'Alba Parigi stems from the famed town of Alba - listed as having world heritage status. The Sebaste family are at the forefront of technology but also deeply rooted in the classical values of winemaking too. They are solar-powered; they use cutting-edge techniques to help reduce water usage and handpick every grape whilst prioritising sustainability in the vineyard too.
The wine, whilst a baby for Nebbiolo, is drinking great today but, like all good Nebbiolo's, has the strength to go for another 5 years easily. I decanted my last bottle for an hour which helped it to open up. I was hit with slight licorice notes, dried fruits, tar and some delicate sweeter fruit notes coming through too. It has good levels of acidity, and the tannins would be described as "classy" or "elegant". It has all the hallmarks of great wine without the price tag you expect to see from, say a Barolo.
My advice - sign up to Makersvine, get yourself a few bottles of this Nebbiolo. Then, enjoy them with some delicious braised short ribs this weekend!
Alternative Braised Dishes
Inspired by my slow-cooked beef short ribs dish and need more slow-cooked and braised dishes in your life? Then check out these delight below that you will find on my website with a simple click of a button 😉
Beef Ossobuco, Mash & Anchovy Dressing
Smoked Pork Ribs, Peach Glaze & Slaw
Beef Cheek Pitas, Sriracha Aioli
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!
Ingredients
- 8 short ribs
Sauce
- 75 ml kecap manis
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 star anise
- 1 lemongrass
- 1 thumbsized piece ginger
- 400 ml water
- 75 ml Chinese cooking wine
Essential Tools
- Chopping board
- Chef Knives
- measuring/weighing utensils
- tongs
- spoon
- baking/roasting tray
Instructions
- Peel & smash garlic, slice ginger, smash and chop lemongrass
- Mix all sauce ingredients together
- Place ribs in a baking tray flesh side down and pour sauce over them
- Cover and marinade in the fridge for minimum 2 hours or overnight
- Heat oven to 150c and cover ribs with baking paper and tinfoil. Cook for 3-3.5hrs until ribs are fork tender
- Increase the heat to 210c, turn ribs over so they are flesh side up and cook for another 30 minutes – basting every 10mins (this helps gets a nice sticky glaze)
- If your sauce is too liquidy then mix 1 tsp cornflour with 1 tbsp water and stir it through, cook for another 10 minutes
- Serve with rice and/or smashed cucumber salad
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- the longer you marinate them, the more flavour the ribs will take on, so if you can do it the night before, the better 😉
- add more or less gochujang to make it more/less spicy. 2 tbsp for me, was the right balance for everyone's taste buds
- you can cook this dish in advance and reheat it in the oven @ 150c for 30-40mins or until ribs are cooked through
- slow cooking is never the same every time so check your ribs after 2.5 hours and if they need more or less time for them to me melt in your mouth, do so at the lower temp of 150c
Amazing recipy! Seems so delicious! Thanks for sharing!