Make Ahead

Aromatic Short Ribs

by:
January  4, 2011
4
1 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

I served these a long long time ago when I had my own restaurant, I served them with that ubiquitous side dish of the early 00's, wasabi mashed potatoes, and I still do. They are better if you let them marinate over night and are even better held for a day or two and then reheated, so it's a nice Sunday afternoon project in anticipation of a warm easy Tuesday night supper, or great for dinner party. Would round the meal out with a simple salad, maybe butter lettuce, avocado, and radishes with a tangerine vinaigrette, and something ginger-y for dessert. - Aliwaks —Aliwaks

Test Kitchen Notes

True to its name, these short ribs are highly aromatic and flavorful. While the dish requires a fair amount of work and uses some very traditional Chinese ingredients, the recipe is well worth the effort. I easily found the ingredients at an Asian supermarket then headed home to prepare the dish for company. The verdict was unanimous -- the dish was rich in flavor and perfectly balanced with the distinct sweetness of the star anise and the sinus-clearing spiciness of the Szechuan peppercorn. I added some extra Szechuan peppercorn to increase the heat, which also worked nicely -- I would definitely experiment with this ingredient! —Constrained Cook

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Ingredients
  • 4-5 pounds short ribs cross cut, 2-3' chunks
  • 1/2 cup tangerine or orange juice
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3 cups dry sherry
  • 1.5 cups low sodium tamari
  • 1/4 cup rough chopped ginger
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 15 or so whole black peppercorns
  • 1 dried red chili pepper
  • 3 2' strips tangerine peel or dried tangerine
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 cup or so Wondra flour
  • 1 tsp ground szechwan pepper corns (or more)
  • vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons five spice powder
  • 2 cup carrots, 1" chunks
  • 6 shallots , halved
  • 1 cup daikon radish, peeled, cut in 1" chunks
Directions
  1. Marinate ribs in mixture of 1 cup sherry, 1/5 cup tamari, 3 garlic cloves, 2 tbs chopped ginger, 1/2 cup orange or tangerine juice let sit over night
  2. Lightly toast peppercorns, cinnamon stick, star anise, tangerine peel & chili - set aside
  3. Remove the short ribs from marinade, dry well preheat oven to 350
  4. Whisk together Wondra flour & Five Spice powder
  5. Season ribs with salt & szechwan pepper, then dredge in flour/five spice mixture
  6. Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy bottomed, oven proof stew pot. Brown short ribs on all four sides, take care not to crowd the pan or they will steam, This is the can be a tedious step but it is so very worth it. Remove each browned rib to s plate and set aside. Do not drain oil
  7. Add toasted spices, carrots, shallots, diakon, ginger, garlic to the pot, stir to coat and let brown slightly.
  8. Add meat back to pot, add remaining liquids ( sherry, soy, honey, tangerine juice etc) + marinade, add 1 cup water bring to simmer.
  9. Cover tightly, and set in oven for 3 hours
  10. Meat & Veg from liquid, strain liquid to remove whole spices. Add Meat & veg back to liquid , refrigerate overnight, skim fat & reheat over gentle heat to serve.
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6 Reviews

Constrained C. January 17, 2011
I tested this last night for dinner and it came out perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Aliwaks January 18, 2011
So happy to hear!
healthierkitchen January 4, 2011
sounds delicious!
aargersi January 4, 2011
Hurrah! Well unpack and get cookin'!! I have lost my reply to a reply ability somehow but this should be a response below ...
aargersi January 4, 2011
Hey Aliwaks whereyabeen? These ribs look GREAT - smart toasting the spices first, and cooking ahead of time too ...
Aliwaks January 4, 2011
Hey there lady!!! OMG Life got really really complicated for awhile btw work & school plus I moved, still haven't fully unpacked the kitchen. I've been food 52 stalking but haven't had a chance to post or reply or anything, but I've untangled some things and I'm back. :)