Author Notes
My fiance and I love to entertain, and a good braise is a lifesaver for dinner parties....very forgiving, better made a day or two in advance, and everyone loves comfort food! This recipe was inspired by a dish we ate from a local take out place, a Thai-inspired item that has become a go-to for dinner parties and cozy winter nights! Amazing with a good celery root puree. - stacey_ballis —stacey_ballis
Test Kitchen Notes
Sneaking a third spoonful of sauce as it reduced, I remembered where I’d tasted one like it many times before—on crispy orange beef take-out from a joint on Beacon Hill in Boston in the nineties. Back then I suffered the sometimes over-fried pieces of not necessarily beef. Today I ladled the spicy sweet sauce, artfully tinged with the bitterness offered up by the slow-cooked orange rinds included in the braising liquid over fork-tender short ribs. My only suggestion is to be sure to use flavorful beef. If your ribs are less than stellar, add beef stock instead of the water to the pot before braising. A reminder of my past, this dish will definitely be in my future. —cheese1227
Ingredients
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8 pieces
short ribs, bone-in
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3
carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
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1
medium yellow onion, halved and sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
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2 pieces
lemongrass, cut in half and bashed a bit with the back of a knife
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2
oranges
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1/2-1 tablespoons
Thai chili garlic paste
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1/4 cup
peanut oil
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Salt and Pepper to taste
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Water
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1/4 cup
Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped coarsely
Directions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
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Heat oil in large Dutch oven.
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Season short ribs well all over with salt and pepper.
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Sear short ribs on all sides to deep brown caramelization. Do in batches if necessary.
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Remove beef from pot, and pour off all but 2 T of the fat. Caramelize onions and carrots in remaining fat in pan. When they have good color, remove to plate with ribs and pour off any excess fat.
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Remove the zest from the oranges and set aside. Halve the oranges and squeeze the oranges by hand into a small bowl. Taste the juice, and if it is not sweet, stir in a T of honey (opt). Dissolve chili paste in the juice. Add the zest to the chili orange mix. Take the orange halves and cut each in half and reserve.
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Deglaze pot with juice/chili mixture then turn off heat.
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Put veggies back in pot, followed by ribs. Nestle smashed lemongrass and orange quarters among the ribs.
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Add water to the level of the ribs,they should not be submerged, but should have the top 1/2 inch visible above the level of liquid. Cover and cook in oven 3-4 hours till very tender. Cool to room temp, and then store in fridge. You can do this up to 2 days in advance, or freeze at this stage.
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The day you want to serve, preheat oven to 350. Take pot out of the fridge and let come to room temp. Remove orange quarters and lemongrass pieces.
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Reheat uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour. Gently remove ribs and veggies from liquid into a serving dish, and hold to the side.
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Defat pan juices, then return to pot and heat over high to reduce to desired thickness. Taste for seasoning, then return ribs and vegetables to the sauce, coasting well.
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Hold in a 200 degree oven, uncovered, until time to serve. Garnish with parsley.
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