BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

It’s been a while since I last posted a recipe and, while I am but an infant in such matters compared to others in the UK blogging community, I do get a decent response when I bother to write about the things I cook at home.

Today, I was at a bit of a loose end. Sybil was out for the day and I had just about finished all the work I had planned. So, I pottered up to the local market where I noticed they had a special offer on these rather meaty beef short ribs. It is not a cut you see terribly regularly in the U.K. However, it is a great favourite of mine and perfect when braised with red wine or a dark beer.

Pushing aside the ultra hoppy IPA’s that seem to be all the rage here right now, I grabbed some bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale and stuck them in my basket alongside a handful of vegetables and headed home eager to start preparing my supper.

The smells in the flat as I began cooking were a good indication that I was doing something right and the end result was everything I had been hoping for. The meat fell off the bones as I pulled at it with a fork and the sauce was deeply savoury, dark and rich, glistening as it coated the ribs.

I am sure most people reading this know how to braise a bit of meat, but just in case anyone is interested, here’s my recipe

Let me know if you try it


BRAISED SHORT RIBS (Serves Four People)
INGREDIENTS
8 Beef Short Ribs
1 Large White Onion (diced)
3 Large Carrots (diced)
2 Sticks Celery (diced)
2 Cloves Garlic (peeled & sliced)
3 Stalks Fresh Rosemary
1 12oz Bottle Newcastle Brown Ale
1 Pint Water/Beef Stock
Salt & Pepper to taste.

METHOD
Sear the short ribs in a hot pan until all sides are completely browned.
Remove and drain of excess fat.
Add the diced onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for around five minutes until they begin to soften.
Add the Newcastle Brown Ale and use to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
Add the rosemary stalks and return the short ribs to the pan.
Add the beef stock or water.
Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat until the liquid is at a gentle simmer.
Cover the pan and cook gently for 1 ½ hours until the meat is beginning to fall from the bones.
Remove the short ribs and keep warm.
Strain the remaining contents of the pan discarding the vegetables and retaining the cooking liquid.
Remove as much of the excess fat from the liquid as possible (with a spoon, a strainer or by dragging a piece of kitchen towel over the surface of the liquid)
Return the cooking liquid to the pan, bring to the boil and cook until reduced to a thick, rich sauce.
Season to taste.
Plate the short ribs (two per person) and spoon a little sauce over each to give a glaze, retaining the rest to serve at the table.
Serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables like broccoli.

DOS HERMANOS: BANK HOLIDAY BEEF

So I found myself at the counter of the Jack O’Shea concession in Selfridges on Saturday, gabbing with the man himself about meat in general and Beef in particular, when he asked me what I fancied. I scanned the display cabinet.

There were Veal Kidneys encased in a thick coat of creamy fat, to be roasted whole; a Popeseye, a cylindrical cut seamed out of the Rump, deep coloured and etched with a fine lines of fat; or my favourite the Ribeye on the bone – what the French call a Cote de Boeuf – beautifully marbled and crying out to be slapped onto a searingly-hot ridged grill, rested and served with a pile of matchstick frites and a tangy béarnaise. Decisions, decisions. In the end I went for the cut right in front of me.

Short Ribs (aka Jacob’s Ladder) are a mainstay of menus throughout the US. Sort of an equivalent to the British Lamb Shank. They’re also very common on Korean menus. It’s difficult to find them in the UK because, sad to say, British butchers are becoming rather thin on the ground. Finding a decent one is even harder. Finding one who knows what short ribs are , well, now you’re talking about something on the level of the P v NP problem.

Short Ribs can be braised or barbecued but after talking to Jack decided to slow roast them. The Ribs were brought to room temperature and sprinkled with some rock salt. They were put into an oven at 100C and left to cook untouched for several hours.

While the ribs were in the oven I cooked up some Razor Clams I’d also bought. Preparation is as for other shellfish like clams or mussels i.e. discard those that don’t close when handled and those that are still closed after cooking. There is a dark intestinal sac that can be removed beforehand.

Cook some chopped garlic in Olive Oil then throw in the clams and cook them until they open. Chucked on some chopped parsley and give them a squeeze of lemon juice. Done. Some bread to mop up the juices would be handy too.

After about four and half hours I lost patience and got the ribs out. All the fat had been rendered but the ribs were still moist. They had a little bit of a chew to them but were good and beefy. They needed little more than some peppery Watercress, Horseradish sauce and a bottle of red from the Monsant region in Spain that belied its six quid price.