Braised Beef Short Ribs

The thing about having friends who work for charities is that sometimes you get roped into charity events, such as, I don't know, all my friends paying donations to come and see me get the shit kicked out of me in a kickboxing match. I had never done any martial art before I unwittingly agreed to this, and thankfully I've so far enjoyed learning. Other less embarrassing events are ones like this, the Smooth Radio Starlight Supper that we hosted over the weekend. The idea is to invite your friends over for dinner and in exchange, they donate money that goes to Macmillan Cancer Support. Nice and simple.

We agreed on a menu that included elements that we would be able to make ahead, so that we didn't leave our 4 guests waiting while we flapped about. Beef short ribs were picked for the main, mainly for the fact that they would taste even better after a night bathing in the braising liquid. Be warned though - this is not a quick recipe. A lot of fat skimming took place. They were quite the beauty; delivered at 5:30am from The East London Steak Co. all wrapped up and with a calling card stating where they're from and who butchered them, they were presented in two sheets, each with 3 ribs and a whole lot of meat surrounding them. Longhorn, my favourite breed.

The sauce from the beef was so rich and ...beefy that I was relieved the polenta it was served with was so plain. The meat still had some resistance and substance to the teeth but slipped off the bone nicely into portions at the table. Black cabbage (or cavalo nero if you want to be fancy) soaked in the juices provided that iron-heavy flavour that complemented the juicy meat well.


Braised Beef Short Ribs

Serves 6

(Adapted from this recipe)

2kg beef short ribs
10 shallots, peeled and halved
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 carrots, diced
3 sticks of celery, diced
2 bay leaves
A handful of peppercorns
400mls red wine
360mls oloroso sherry
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs of thyme
1.3l water
1 beef stock cube

For the Gremolata, mix together:

A handful of parsley, minced
Zest of 1 lemon, chopped finely
1 clove of garlic, minced

Set the oven to 130 degrees C.In a pan, fry the beef ribs very slowly for at least 40 mins, to render the fat out and properly brown the meat. Remove to a large casserole dish. Remove most of the fat and leave a bit to fry the carrots, celery and shallots in. Add the booze and bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Add to the meat. Bring the water to a boil with the stock cube and add to the meat.

Throw in the garlic cloves, peppercorns, vinegar, thyme, bay leaves and put a lid on, and leave it be in the oven for a good 4 hours. It's best to do this overnight so that the fat solidifies and you can remove it easily.

The next day, remove the beef ribs from the sauce being very careful as they may fall apart. Place on a roasting tray. Sieve the meat juice into a wide pan, squashing the vegetables to release any residual flavour and skim any more fat left off. Reduce like hell for a good hour or so to really intensify the flavours. When serving, roast the ribs for 10 - 15 minutes on 200 degrees C and then serve in a large dish with the jucies over them. The sauce needn't be any thicker if you're serving in bowls with runny polenta. Top the beef with the gremolata and carve at the table.