Asian-Style Braised Short Ribs

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Preheat a large oven-safe pan or Dutch oven to medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Lightly sprinkle the short ribs with salt.

When the pot is very hot, sear ribs on all 3 meat sides (not the 4th bone side) until very brown and meat releases easily from the pan. Do this in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. It will take about 5 minutes for each side. Set the short ribs aside on a plate after each bunch is done and continue until you cook all of them. Then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin, beef stock, Sriracha, mirin, and sesame oil. Grate in the ginger.

Drain off any excess fat from the pot. Pour in the beer, and stir gently to deglaze the pan. When the beer has reduced by half, about 2 minutes, return the short ribs to the pot. Pour in the sauce, and throw the garlic cloves on top of everything.

Cover the pot and place the ribs in the oven for 1.5 to 2.5 hours until the ribs are very tender and the meat is falling off the bone. Check them every 45 minutes or so with a fork to test doneness! When the ribs are fully cooked, remove the pot from the oven to cool. Then let them stand in the fridge overnight, in the same pot, if you have time!

Make the slurry. Combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Remove the ribs from the fridge. Scrape off as much of the congealed white fat as you can and discard. Warm the ribs on the stovetop over medium heat until the sauce is simmering. Add the slurry, and stir to thicken. Taste the sauce, and add more salt or Sriracha to your taste. Once it’s heated through and the sauce is thickened, you are ready to serve.

Serve over rice with the pan juices topped with scallion and cilantro.

Note: I find it’s easier to make this the day before you’d like to eat it, then refrigerate it overnight. The fat skims off so beautifully that way, and the flavors intensify. If you want to make these the day of, just skim off as much of the fat as you can.