In this article we are going to look at how to cook beef short ribs; these ribs are a beautiful cut of meat and fairly inexpensive, great for slow roasting and braising.  The short rib does contain a degree of fat and for this reason it is best braised in some sort of liquid so that all those fatty flavours are not wasted by just dripping out into the oven. 

You can be imaginative with your short ribs and try different ingredients and indeed different cultural themes.  Try cooking them in coconut milk and lime to give them that Thai taste, or with cumin and coriander for a more Indian authenticity.  Whatever you choose you are going to need some good vegetables that braise well.

Start off with white onion and carrots; that really should be the base for any braising dish.  What you add after that can be where you take on your theme for the dish, in this example I am going to go for typical English.  Adding potatoes, not only for sustenance but they will also help thicken the liquor later, Swede, Butternut and Sweat Potato.  If you have any bones or could get some from your butcher then put them in with the rest of the vegetables.

It is ways best to season your ribs the night before and leave them over night in the fridge to absorb some of the flavour.  Put all the vegetables in a deep roasting tray with the bones and lay the short ribs over the top.  Mix up a couple of stock cubes with enough boiling water to cover all the ingredients, pour over the top and cover with foil.

Set your oven for around 175 degrees Celsius; remember we are sloe braising this meat if you have time I would even go as low as 150.  After 1 hour keep checking to see if the meat is tender, if not go back every 15 minutes until it is.  Remove the meat and the bones from the liquor, discard the bones and leave the meat to rest in a warm place.

Put your roasting tray over the stove and reduce the liquid until it is reasonably thick, at this point it is nice to add some more flavour with; mustard, red wine, horseradish.  Remove the vegetables and place in the centre of a serving dish, serve the short ribs over the top then pour over the sauce.