Lennox Hastie’s braised beef short ribs recipe
Winter weather calls for a warm hug or comfort food and as temperatures drop, there are few things more satisfying than slow-cooked ribs.
In our fast-paced lives, we are constantly racing towards the next thing. Even though this may make us feel a sense of achievement, it prevents us from enjoying the pleasure of slowing down. Winter weather calls for a warm hug or comfort food. As the temperature drops, there are few things more satisfying on a chilly evening than a slow-cooked beef short rib. The meat, with its thick marbling, falls away from the bone and melts in your mouth, while the rich aroma of braised beef fills the air.
The beauty of braising lies in its simplicity – a low and slow affair. All you need is a good quality piece of meat, a delicious braising liquid and a low, steady heat. Slow cooking enables the collagen and tough connective tissue to break down sufficiently until the meat can be cut with a spoon, while the full flavour of the beef is combined with a rich braise in perfect harmony.
While the choice of secondary cuts is numerous, from shin, oxtail and cheek, there is something very primal about short ribs. Ask your butcher for short ribs from the chuck end (as opposed to the brisket, plate, or rib); these cuts around the serratus ventralis muscle tend to be thicker and better marbled.
First, there’s the all-important browning process. When you sear a piece of meat, something magical happens. As the heat hits the surface the sugars and amino acids in the meat begin to react with each other, forming a complex network of new compounds that are responsible for that rich, savoury flavour we all know and love. Known as the Maillard reaction, it is one of the most fundamental and delicious chemical reactions in cooking. Similarly, when you roast vegetables at a high temperature, the Maillard reaction causes the natural sugars in the vegetables to caramelise and turn golden brown. Caramelising mushrooms and shallots for a longer period produces a nutty, savoury intensity. This results in a profound depth of flavour when combined with the stock and reduced wine, creating a rich braise.
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RECIPE: Braised short ribs
Ingredients
For the braising liquid
- 150ml grapeseed oil
- 500g button mushrooms, sliced
- 800g shallots, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon brown demerara sugar
- 100ml red wine vinegar
- 600ml red wine, reduced by half to 300ml
- 1 litre gelatinous beef stock
- Sea salt
For the braise
- 50ml grapeseed oil
- 3 bone-in beef short ribs (about 1.6kg) with good marbling
- 2 onions, peeled and halved
- 1 large carrot, scrubbed and halved lengthwise
- 1 stick celery, washed and halved
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of thyme
- Sea salt
To finish
- 150ml red wine, reduced to 50ml
- 15ml red wine vinegar
Method
- Preheat oven to 150C. For the braising liquid: heat a pan, add 80ml of grapeseed oil and, when smoking, sauté the sliced mushrooms, adding a pinch of salt to season and to help draw out the moisture. Caramelise on a high heat for 8-10 minutes, moving continually to avoid burning until they turn an even rich mahogany colour and are rendered nutty in flavour and crisp in texture. Place in a sieve, removing any excess oil. In the same hot pan, add 50ml of oil (plus any excess oil from the mushrooms) and sauté the sliced shallots, adding a pinch of salt to season and help draw out the moisture. Caramelise on a medium to high heat for 8-10 minutes, moving continually to avoid burning, until they turn an even rich mahogany colour and are rendered sweet and unctuous. Add the brown sugar and cook for a further minute. Add the caramelised mushrooms, stir to combine, and then deglaze the pan with the red wine vinegar. Add the reduced red wine and the beef stock and bring to the boil.
- Simmer for 40-45 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before passing through a fine sieve. Give the mushrooms and shallots a light press with the back of the ladle to ensure that all the goodness is squeezed out into the braising liquid.
- For the braise, place a large flameproof casserole dish or a deep roasting tin over high heat, add the 50ml of oil and, when smoking, add the short ribs and caramelise evenly all over for 10-12 minutes until dark and interesting. Season, and remove. Add the onion and the carrot to the dish, caramelise for 8-10 minutes and remove. Return the ribs together with the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf and thyme, and pour over the braising liquid.
- Cover and cook in a low oven for about 3-4 hours until soft and almost falling off the bone.
- Allow to cool to room temperature in the braising liquid before carefully removing the ribs.
- Pass the braising liquid through a sieve, skimming to remove the excess fat from the surface, before reducing it down to a luscious, glazing consistency, seasoning to taste if required. Add reduced red wine and red wine vinegar for fresh vibrancy. Pour over the ribs and heat for 8-10 minutes until they are well glazed and coated.
- Note: to reduce the wine to a red wine reduction, simply add the wine to a small saucepan and simmer until the volume has reduced. Serves 4
RECIPE: Watercress Gremolata
Ingredients
- ½ bunch parsley
- ½ bunch watercress
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 100ml fruity olive oil
- Salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
Method
- Finely chop parsley and watercress and combine with the garlic and lemon zest. Add olive oil, salt and lemon juice to taste.
Chef Lennox Hastie’s recipes appear fortnightly in The Weekend Australian Magazine. His column alternates with Elizabeth Hewson’s home-cook recipes