Sticky Asian Beef Ribs

Slow cooking means a lot of different things to different people.  I guess their biggest bragging right is that this way of cooking provides busy people with easy meals to feed their family.  Sometimes you just throw anything and everything in to the vessel and pray that it tastes nice when you get home from work.  Other times the recipe is made with precision following a recipe. 

 

This was definitely the later - following a recipe and it's techniques.  Not the easiest of slow cooker dishes, considering it takes several days but well worth the effort.  It pays off and you will not be disappointed.

 

When it comes to cooking with meat I know that slow cooking will produce meat that is generally melt in your mouth or fall apart on the fork.  These Sticky Beef Ribs were exactly that.  Just lifting off the bone and considering the size of the ribs (the thickness of the meat) every mouthful was so tender and mouth watering,

 

Flavour wise - Asian infused with elements of sweet, salty and chilli... OMG!!!  I could have eaten plate after plate.

Sticky Asian Beef Ribs

(Recipe adapted from Not Quite Nigella)

 

Serves: 6 - 8

2 kilos beef short ribs

1 1/2 cups soy sauce

2 cups brown sugar, divided into two

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

3 star anise

2 large red chilli, sliced

2 cups water

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup freshly chopped coriander leaves

2 large red chilli, extra, sliced

1/2 cup chopped raw peanuts

Mix the soy sauce, 1 cup of the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, garlic, ginger, star anise and chilli in a bowl and then marinate the beef ribs in the marinade for 1 hour. Drain the ribs, reserving the marinade for cooking.

Put the ribs straight into the slow cooker vessel. Mix the marinade with the 2 cups of water and add to the ribs. Cook on low setting for 8 hours.

Once cooked allow the slow cooker vessel to cool. Place in fridge overnight.  The next day, skim the fat off the top and reheat and serve with rice if you don't want to make the glaze.

If you are making the glaze, take 500ml of the liquid to make the glaze and place in a saucepan and heat with the extra cup of brown sugar and rice wine vinegar-taste and add salt if needed. Reduce down to a syrupy glaze. Heat the ribs in about 1 cup of the liquid and then brush with the glaze.

 

Serve garnished with sliced chilli, coriander and chopped peanuts. 

If desired also serve with steamed rice.

 

Visit Not Quite Nigella for different slow cooking options.

 

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)