Slow-braised beef short ribs are the ultimate comfort food for chilly evenings, lazy Sunday lunches, or when you’re cooking to impress with minimal hands-on effort. Gently braised in a rich combination of red wine, mirin, soy sauce and warming spices, the beef becomes meltingly tender while the sauce develops incredible depth of flavour. Better still, this dish tastes even better the next day, making it the perfect make-ahead meal for entertaining or cosy family dinners.
RECIPE, STYLING AND PHOTOGRAPH BY HEIN VAN TONDER
Slow-braised beef short ribs
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2,5kg bone-in beef short ribs, cut into 5cm chunks
- sea salt flakes, to taste
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 10cm thumb fresh ginger, sliced
- 500ml (2 cups) dry red wine
- 125ml (½cup) mirin
- 125ml (½cup) rice wine vinegar
- 80ml (⅓ cup) soya sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chilli flakes
- 4 whole star anise
- 2 roughly chopped spring onions, to garnish
- steamed rice, to serve
- 230g sautéed broccolini, to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160°C. On medium-high, heat the oil in a heavy-based, lidded stove-to-oven casserole dish. Brown the ribs in 2 batches, turning occasionally, until golden all over and starting to caramelise.
Transfer the ribs to a plate and season to taste. Reduce the heat, add the onion to the dish and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned, a further 5 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat and bring to the boil for 5 minutes.
Add the mirin, rice wine vinegar, soya sauce, sugar, chilli flakes and star anise. Mix well, then add the ribs, coating them with the sauce. Cover the casserole dish and place in the preheated oven until the ribs are very tender, at least 3 hours. Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking for the sauce to thicken.
Garnish with the chopped spring onion and serve with the steamed rice and sautéed broccolini on the side.
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Also See: Braised beef short ribs with mash
Braised beef short ribs with mash
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
