Offset the rich meaty flavours with a light and tangy Korean Carrot Salad or go for a full on spice blast with some kimchi. I’ve long been a lover of Asian food. In the West, we tend to imagine bowls of rice and piles of noodles, with meat as the sidekick, but these Korean short ribs are the true hero. The traditional recipe is usually served at a special occasion; a wedding, a birthday. Or in my case; a homecoming. My eldest is away doing his first year at university. He’s almost the whole length of the country, hours and hours away, and I miss him intensely. So I chose to make these braised beef short ribs to celebrate his return for the weekend. As the meat cooked and the tantalising aromas filled the house it only served to increase my impatience for him to get home! And I wasn’t the only impatient one. It took all my maternal strength to defend the pot and prevent my husband from giving in to temptation too soon! Slow-cooked short ribs are worth the wait, and so’s my boy.
Korean Short Ribs
This recipe is Korean in essence, coming mainly from gochujang paste. Gochu meaning chilli pepper and jang is any Korean fermented bean paste, it’s a deep red colour with a fiery kick to it and an underlying sweetness. In my recipe, I pare back it’s potency with tomato passata and red wine for less aggressive, but still indulgent braise. On-the-bone ribs enhance the unctuous texture on the tongue, that slick melted marrow mouthfeel. So most recipes will call for bone-in short ribs, however, boneless will do. And they’re not called short ribs for nothing. About the length of a thumb and encased in meat, the rib bone should be just sticking out of the end, making for a useful handle when chopsticks getting too taxing. Short ribs will come with some fat. They’re less expensive and less flavoursome than other ribs for that reason, but in my book, that’s what makes a great slow-cooking cut. A traditional Korean recipe will encourage you to strip the excess fat, or even boil it away in aromatic water, but I am a firm believer in fat. It adds a rich flavour, a silken texture and is just more sumptuous. Why waste it?
Storage and leftovers
This is a dish that will intensify over night and will come back punchier than ever in the second round. If you have any leftovers, cover super tightly so other foods in the fridge aren’t permeated, and store for 2-3 days. The ribs also freeze beautifully. Just pop them in an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months. Defrost in a refrigerator overnight. To reheat, put back on the hob with a splash of water and cook over a medium heat until hot all the way through. More Slow Cooked Beef Recipes to Try:
Slow Cooked Beef Pot Roast with Gravy Braised Beef Short Ribs Beef Bourguignon Irish Beef Stew
