Help! Short Rib Rescue Needed!

Dear people who cook more than I do,
We bought some very special short ribs from a grass-fed grass-finished cow, so we wanted to honor them with a fantastic recipe. We tried this one: http://offthemeathook.com/2011/09/recipe-the-best-short-ribs-youll-ever-eat/
Yum, right?
However, because we know this meat is lean, and all the other cuts from this cow have cooked quicker than recommended times, we were worried about overcooking. So we pulled the ribs out of the oven about half an hour early. Now we're worried they're not tender enough. They mostly fall off the bone, but they're not as tender as pulled pork, for sure. What do we do? How do we rescue this? They've been in the fridge overnight. Should we put them back in the oven? Try them in a slow cooker? Leave well enough alone?

(]Celia[)
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6 Comments

James H.
James H. July 8, 2018
I had a question, I suvee’d short ribs for 24 hours with a new machine and the app it’s connected to said they would come out medium rare, they we close, but def not falling off the bone, it’s almost as if the meat tightened and became like pastrami. It could have been on the leaner side. The question now is what to do, I made extra marinade and could add the short ribs in low heat in the oven for 4-6 hours and see if that works? Any suggestions?
 
darksideofthespoon
darksideofthespoon October 10, 2012
I like to make a ragu sauce from short ribs, you could always shred them and use them for that... Delicious over fresh pasta!
 
ChefOno
ChefOno October 10, 2012

Do you really want the meat to fall apart? I wouldn't. But if it's not to your liking, there's no reason you can't put the pot back into the oven.

At this point the meat will be firmer than it was yesterday, the gelatin having set overnight. It will melt after a while and then you'll be back to where you left off.


 
Reiney
Reiney October 10, 2012
Agreed, Chef Ono. I have taken my braised meats too far more than once, and whilst it's still tasty the texture isn't always right. Generally you don't want the meat at the point where it won't stay on the bone (or where the bones are starting to disintegrate!).
 
ChefJune
ChefJune October 10, 2012
Short ribs, like brisket and pot roasts of all kinds, are always better when reheated the next day. So you have really n ot bungled anything. Just give them a longer re-heat, making sure there is plenty of good "juice" in there.

Unlike a cake, you CAN continue cooking the short ribs the next day (or even two or three days later).

Bon Appetit!
 
Benny
Benny October 10, 2012
just because other cuts from the cow have cooked quicker than recommend time doesn't change the fact that a low and slow braise of short ribs will only benifit with longer cooking period. The most difficult thing in the world to do would probably be to over cook braised short ribs.

In other words, if you ever DO manage to over cooked braised short ribs, its because you went on vacation for a week and left them in the oven. Even then, they will probably still be the best short ribs you've ever eaten ;)

I don't see any reason why you can't just pop them in the oven for another couple hours. allow enough time for the pan to come back to your braising temperature, and then leave them in as long as you can.
 
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