Is it just us, or have braised short ribs been popping up all over the place lately? Some of us have been cooking them at home for years, but now its starting to feel like we can hardly turn around without bumping into another recipe for the "most tender, succulent, awesome short ribs ever." What's more, they all sound so good...
Short ribs typically come from the ribs on the underside (the "plate") of the cow or steer. They are meaty and have a good amount of fat and connective tissue, making them an excellent choice for long braises.
Since most short ribs are cooked on the bone, we get another bonus from the bone marrow. This cooks out during braising, giving you one of the richest and most unctuous sauces you've ever made.
With short ribs, it seems like you get all the benefits of a tender cut like sirloin or rib eye, but with the added advantage that they can be braised. It's the best of both worlds, and maybe this is why they've become so popular lately.
Here are a few recipes that we've recently seen and drooled over:
• Gourmet's Stout-Braised Short Ribs reviewed right here at the Kitchn!
• Root Beer Braised Short Ribs from the Miami Herald, 1.8.09
• Braised Short Ribs with Potato Puree, Swiss Chard, and Horseradish Cream from Smitten Kitchen, 12.23.08
• Braised Hoison Beer Short Ribs with Rosemary White Bean Puree from the Bitten Word, 1.7.09
• Cocoa-Braised Short Ribs with Chestnut Puree and Red Wine Gravy from the Chicago Sun Times, 12.17.08
• Braised Chili-Spiced Short Ribs with Black Beans from Gourmet, 2.09
Are you new to this trend, or have you been loving short ribs for years?
Related: Ribs Under the Broiler from the NYTimes Dining Section
(Image: Flickr members The Bitten Word and misskoco licensed under Creative Commons)
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I made 8 pounds of short ribs last weekend for a dinner party! So easy, cheap, and good.
I love shortribs. They're so EASY! And if the weather would remember that it's winter, they'd be a great way to warm up my apartment on a gray day.
Whatever the cause, I wish it meant short ribs were more readily available. And cheaper. ;)
Is unctuous going to replace umami as the new hip foodie word?
THey certainly have been popping up frequently. Farro also seems to be a big recipe fav these days, too.
http://www.danamccauley.com/Newsletter.html
I made the Smitten Kitchen ones last week. They were so yummy and a great excuse to keep the oven on all day.
I've been using chuck flats lately as a more economical alternative to short ribs.
They can be treated the same as short ribs and have about the same cooking time. They are a bit leaner but still nice and tender after braising.
Short ribs--especially bison short ribs-- are lean and flavorful, especially when braised in coffee. Check out this java-braised bison short rib recipe. It made one of my favorite home cooked meals of 2008, for sure.
Cooks Illustrated has a fantastic recipe in the current issue that speeds up the process and it worked really well...delicious...highly recommend
I have had incredible success with a slightly modified Smitten Kitchen recipe. I blogged this piece before I had a photo of the finished dish.
http://pmf1852.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/got-ribs/
But I've got a post coming next week that shows those beautiful braised ribs.
love love LOVE braised short ribs! have been eating them since i was a kid korean stew style. :)
I got a great deal on short ribs at Costco recently (off the bone) that were HUGE, well marbled, well trimmed, and perfect for braising. I tried a moroccan recipe and Julia Child's boeuf bourgignon. My husband always likes the lower-fat cuts of beef so these well-trimmed ones went over really well.
Braised short ribs are delicious. I recommend buying them at the Asian store where they are plentiful and inexpensive.