This (slightly adapted) recipe for deliciously tangy slow cooked beef ribs is by Alison Roman from NYT Cooking. I followed her advice to season the ribs with salt and pepper two days before and cook them a day in advance, not only improving the favour but enabling the removal of some fat.
Season 2¼ kg (5 lbs) of thick beef ribs with salt and freshly ground black pepper at least an hour (and up to 24 hours) before cooking and refrigerate. When you’re ready to cook, preheat your oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Heat some oil in a heavy saucepan or on a hot barbecue plate and sear the ribs, in batches if necessary, until well browned. In an ovenproof large pot heat some oil over medium heat and fry 2 large quartered onions and 12 large cloves of garlic. Let them colour a little then add 3 tablespoons of honey and continue to cook until the honey is dark brown and sticking to the pot. Now add ½ a cup each of apple cider vinegar and soy sauce and use a wooden spoon to scrape up anything sticking to the bottom of the pot. Simmer and reduce by half before adding 4 cups of beef stock and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme. Season with salt and pepper and add the ribs in one layer, bone side up and submerged in the liquid as much as possible. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook for 3 hours without opening. After 3 hours, the ribs should be extremely tender but if you think they need longer extend their cooking time until you’re satisfied. When they’re done remove them from oven. If you have an extra day and want to remove the fat, take the ribs out of the sauce and put the sauce in a bowl making sure the onions are submerged. Cover and refrigerate both the ribs and the sauce overnight. The next day preheat your oven to 160ºC (325ºF). Scrape the fat from the ribs and remove the layer of fat from the top of the bowl of sauce. Place the sauce and ribs back in the pot, cover them and reheat for 35 – 40 minutes. Although the original recipe called for browning uncovered, I chose not to do this in case it would dry the meat. While the ribs are reheating chop 2 cups of parsley leaves and some spring onion greens and combine them in a bowl with some flaky salt. When you’re ready to serve the ribs, squeeze the juice of 2 – 3 lemons over the ribs, letting the juice mix with the sauce. Serve sprinkled with the parsley mixture.
Sweet potato and potato mash was the perfect accompaniment for these ribs.
Peel and chop 1 large sweet potato and 2 – 3 medium potatoes and steam until soft. Transfer to a warm bowl and mash with ¼ – ½ a cup of sour cream and a generous amount of butter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. When mashed to your preferred consistency, stir through some chopped parsley, spring onions and dill and serve immediately.
michelle picker cooks 