Ingredients
Beef short ribs
Other Names: Asian-style chuck short ribs, back ribs, barbecue ribs, blade meat, braising ribs, chuck short ribs, costata or costine de pancia (Italian, back or plate ribs), costillas del lomo or costillas cortas (Spanish, back or plate ribs), côtes de basse or côtes de plat (French, back or plate ribs), crosscut ribs, dinosaur ribs, English short ribs, flanken, Korean short ribs, plate short ribs, pony-bock ribs (British, plate ribs).
General Description: Short ribs are cut from different sections of the 12 ribs that start at the chuck (shoulder) and continue to the loin. Relatively square, short ribs have full-bodied flavor and luscious tenderness that develop when they are slow-cooked by hot-smoking, slow-roasting, or braising. Short ribs are especially popular in Korean, Chinese, and Jewish cuisines. Although retail meat markets don’t usually distinguish which section the short ribs are cut from, each kind is somewhat different. Beef plate ribs will be less expensive than chuck ribs. Beef back ribs, sometimes called dinosaur ribs, will be the most expensive. A royal rib is just the sixth rib with the meat cut partially from the bone, rolled, and tied.
Korean-style ribs are thin slices cut either across the ribs or accordion-cut parallel to the ribs. Eastern European Jewish flanken or crosscut ribs are cut across the bones in strips 2 to 3 inches wide. English short ribs can be either bone-in or boneless. English or Asian short ribs may also be cut sections of chuck rib bones with meat attached. Boneless short ribs may be used for stew.
Part of Animal: Short ribs are cut from the chuck (shoulder), the loin, and the plate (belly). Short ribs consist of dense layers of rather tough, medium-coarse grain meat interwoven with layers of fat and connective tissue. They usually include the rib bones.
Characteristics: The most common short ribs come from the plate and are rather fatty but meaty and are cut from ribs 6 to 8. Chuck short ribs, cut from ribs 1 to 5 in the shoulder section, are tougher but less fatty. Back ribs, the portion left after the rib-eye is removed, are not as meaty but are more tender.
How to Choose: Buy at least 1 pound of bone-in short ribs per person to allow for bone and shrinkage.
Amount to Buy: Allow 1/2 pound of boneless short ribs per person.
Storage: Refrigerate short ribs up to 4 days.
Preparation:- Trim excess fat. Score the fat layer in a crisscross pattern to encourage the fat to melt out.
- If desired, cure with a wet spice rub, brine, or dry-rub with spices up to 3 days before cooking to let the flavors meld. Keep refrigerated until ready to cook.
- Tie ribs with butcher’s string to keep their shape and brown lightly. Slow-cook in a moist environment, braising for about 3 hours, hot-smoking for up to 10 hours, cooking in a crockpot on low for 8 to 10 hours, or slow-roasting at 300°F about 4 hours, or until fork tender but not falling apart.
- Chill overnight, remove fat, and reheat in liquid.
Flavor Affinities: Cilantro, garlic, ginger, green onions, molasses, mushrooms, onions, red wine, sesame oil, soy sauce, thyme.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
