Cider Braised Short Ribs

By Alex Wang

Photos by Emily Kim

Short ribs are a perfect dish to cook in the winter: comforting, satisfying, and super hands off. You can start these short ribs on a Sunday morning, leave them in your oven to braise all day, and have a delicious meal ready by dinner time with plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week. Apple cider is the perfect braising liquid for these short ribs because it reduces down to a sweet, caramelized glaze that helps to cut the meatiness of the short ribs.

The key to braising short ribs is to use as low of a temperature as you dare. The higher you go, the faster the beef will cook, but the more damage you will do to the protein structure, resulting in dryer, stringier meat. On the other hand, the longer you cook for, the more collagen will be converted to gelatin, which absorbs liquid and results in tender, moist meat. The key is that collagen converts to gelatin at any temperature above 160 degrees, so cooking on high heat doesn’t really melt the collagen any faster and you are better off cooking them low and slow. In fact, I’ve even seen recipes for 129 degree short ribs cooked sous vide for 72 hours. You are not going to be able to do that in a Dutch oven realistically, so anywhere from 200 to 250 is a good braising temperature.

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 4-7 hours

Makes: 4 servings

Get

3 pounds English cut short ribs

3 cups nonalcoholic unfiltered apple cider

3 cups beef stock (as low sodium as possible)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

1 large yellow onion

2 sticks of celery

1 large stick of carrot

Optional aromatics:

1/2 bulb of fennel

1 large leek

1 large rutabaga

Optional herbs/seasonings:

2 bay leaves

1 sprig rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

2 cloves star anise

1 large piece of cinnamon

To season:

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Do

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Season the short ribs generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes to absorb the salt.

3. Cut the aromatics (onion, celery, carrots, and optional vegetables) into large pieces. They do not need to be very small since their purpose is simply to contribute flavor to the braising liquid and they will be discarded once the braising is complete.

4. Place a Dutch oven or stockpot on high heat, and once very hot add a splash of olive oil. Sear the ribs in small batches on all four sides, removing from heat to a separate plate.

5. Once all the meat is seared, drain the remaining fat from the pan (use it to make delicious roasted potatoes). Return the pot to medium heat and deglaze the pot with the apple cider.

6. Return the short ribs to the pot, and add the aromatics. Add enough beef stock to completely cover the beef and aromatics (and more if it fits). Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and the optional seasonings if desired to the pot.

7. Place the pot in the oven, covered with the lid slightly ajar. Cook for at least 4 hours but as long as you dare, checking every 2 hours or so. If the beef is no longer covered by the braising liquid, add more beef stock and apple cider. The braising liquid should be lightly salty, but do not add too much salt at this point because the braising liquid will be transformed into a highly concentrated glaze later.

8. Once the short ribs are very tender to the touch, remove the pot from the oven. Remove the herbs and aromatics and discard them if desired (they will most likely be mushy and flavorless at this point). Remove the short ribs and set them aside.

9. Reduce the braising liquid on medium heat until it forms a sweet, sticky glaze. While making it, season with apple cider, beef stock, salt, and apple cider vinegar as necessary. Once the glaze has reached the correct consistency, return the short ribs to the glaze and toss until coated.

Serving suggestions:

1. Boil a large pot of water. Peel your potatoes, and boil until tender. Cool, then mash until smooth

2. Measure approx. 1 cup of your mash potato, and combine with the flour and beaten egg. Knead this mixture until it forms a ball of dough

3. Roll the dough into a long, thin (roughly 1/2 in diameter) “snake,” and use a fork to create uniform horizontal ridges in the snake. Cut the dough snake into 1 in. pieces

4. Boil in salted water for 4 minutes (or until the gnocchi float to the top)

5. Drain and set aside

6. Done!