Asian Slow Cooker Short Ribs

After watching a Top Chef competitor make short ribs, hearing Tom Colicchio complain about the ribs not being glazed enough, all I wanted to do was to make some short ribs. And I was for damn sure going to glaze them. :) But most importantly, my new friends were willing to buy the ingredients as long as I was willing to make them. Deal! I believe they liked them because they are asking me when the next dinner is. You can make these in the oven but you need to make sure you are home all day to check on them. I used the slow cooker because it does the brunt of the work for you.

Ingredients: (2 people - 3 if you are lighter eaters)
3lbs of short ribs
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 cups of beef broth
1 tbsp of minced ginger
5 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp of sesame oil

Garnish: parsley

Prep the aromatics. Mince the garlic and ginger. Wash and chop up the parsley. Set aside for later. 

Next wash and dry your meat. You have to completely dry your meat for it to brown properly. I trimmed off the excess fat but keep some because fat is flavor. If you have a rack of ribs, remember to cut the meat into 2-3 inch pieces. I follow the bones. See photo above.  

You'll want to brown the short ribs in a cast iron (or heavy bottomed pan) to lock in extra flavor. Also this step helps render the fat. Brown on ALL sides. This step is crucial in making sure the ribs get a great depth of flavor. However, if you are crunched on time, you can skip this step! But I highly recommend taking the time to brown your ribs.  

Look at these beauties. I browned the ribs in small batches. Keeps the heat high and evenly distributed. 

Once the meat is browned, place the ribs into the slow cooker. Cover the ribs with the sauce (soy sauce, beef broth, ginger, garlic, sesame oil). I added some more beef broth to cover most of the ribs. So definitely use your best judgement. Cook on slow for 6-7 hours. Remove the meat from slow cooker. Skim off the layer of fat from the remaining stock. 

I removed 3 cups of the stock and bring it to a slow boil on the stove top. I adjusted the stock - added some more sugar and soy sauce. 1 tablespoon of each but this is all preference. Adjust to your liking. You'll want to reduce the stock down, it took 10-15 minutes. Please look after the sauce because it will burn easily. You'll want get to a consistency that is sticky but again, be careful to not burn it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Once the stock has reduced down. Add in the ribs and "glaze" each piece thoroughly. Then place into the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Make sure to flip the ribs every 5 minutes for an even glaze.  

Remove and garnish with parsley. Serve with rice. 

Enjoy!

XX

Kathy