SLOW BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Autumn Comforting Spoon Food

Gorgeous slow braised beef short ribs in roasted marrowbone beef stock giving these ribs the best gravy and dipping au jus, such a simple dish to cook with the most delicious results.  The tender braised beef just falls off the bone and melts in your mouth served either stuffed in to bread rolls as French dip or my favourite with rich buttery Yukon mashed potato this is a winner winner dinner all round.

Slow Cooking Time 3-4 hours

Equipment:  Roasting tin, parchment paper and tin foil.

Ingredients 

(serves 4-6)

6 short ribs

1 marrow bone

Olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 onion finely diced

2 carrots finely diced

4 cloves garlic bashed

1 leek finely sliced

1 rib celery finely diced

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs thyme

1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

10 whole peppercorns 

2 ltr beef stock

1 ltr water

Best Mashed Potatoes Ever

1 kg Yukon or King Edward potatoes peeled and quartered

250g salted butter (I know!)

15ml apple cider vinegar

Himalayan sea salt 

White ground pepper

Pre heat your oven to 200 C / 400 F.  Toss the marrow bone in olive oil and season with salt and pepper, roast in the oven for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place a deep braising/roasting tin on the stove medium heat, add a glug of olive oil and tbsp of butter, brown off the ribs in batches and remove reserving to one side while you add all the other ingredients except the stock and seasoning, soften for 15-20 minutes.  Next add the stock and seasoning and the reserved short ribs along with all the resting juices, lay a rectangle of parchment paper on top of the ingredients then cover the tin with tin foil.  

Place in a pre-heated oven 160 degrees for 3-4 hrs or until the meat is tender falling off the short ribs.  

While the ribs are cooking peel the potatoes and place in a large pan of water, when 30 minutes from serving the short ribs bring the potatoes up to a boil and cook until fork tender, drain and leave to steam dry for a few minutes, add the butter to the pan and leave on a very low heat to melt, add back the potatoes and mash, season with the white wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

Remove the ribs from the oven and drain off all the braising liquor and vegetables through a sieve, using the back of a spoon push some of the braising vegetables through the mesh of the sieve, this will not only deepen the flavour of your gravy further but help to thicken it with out compromising the flavour.   You can add some of the vegetables to the stock and blitz with a hand blender instead of pushing through a sieve.  At this point you can also reduce the stock a little to intensify the flavour, then season to taste.

To serve place the rich buttery mashed potato in the centre of the plate and lay a short rib across the mash and pour lashings of the rich braised gravy over the rib, allowing the juices to ooze all over the mash, enjoy.