Throw Together Beef Short Ribs

I have had a busy two weeks. Aside from work related commitments, I also got sick so had no time to really cook and experiment on new recipes. So this week, having recovered a little, I decided to cook something easier for a change. This is my fourth (so far) beef dish. The other three being the Roast beef , steak burger bursters, and sizzling salpicao. If you have been following the blog, you would notice that the pictures are improving. (hehehe) You know, you really learn from doing.... and I wanted the food to look as nice as it tasted. Been doing a lot of trial and error on how to do better food pictures. I hope it shows in the recent blogs.

The slow cooker is a working woman's God send. The problem sometimes is just finding the right recipe to make. It's a hit and miss thing.

I bought a slow-cooker cookbook by WILLIAMS AND SONOMA and tried one recipe. Uggh! is was awful. The meat came out VERY bland and the sauce was too forgettable. It was a a big waste of really good meat (and money on a cookbook) Truly disappointing.

I scored a few nice short ribs from RUSTANS (they were having a buy one take one offer) and decided to try to find a nice recipe. I found this recipe and changed a few of the ingredients to suit what I had on hand.

This one DID NOT disappoint and I love how you just "throw" everything in!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole or diced canned tomatoes (or you can used tomato juice)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 kilos (4 pounds) beef short ribs
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the first nine ingredients;(this does not include the cornstarch...) set aside.

Cut ribs into serving-size pieces; sprinkle with pepper.

In a pan, sear the short ribs until they are browned but not fully cooked.

 Place ribs in a 5-qt. slow cooker; top with tomato juice mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until meat is tender. (how easy is that??)

after 6 hours........

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour 1 cup cooking liquid into a small saucepan; skim off fat. Bring to a boil; stir in cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over ribs.

6 hours later....

Doing this dish, I started in the morning and mixed everything before I left the house around noon. I did all the things I need to do and when I got back home at 6pm... this is what I saw.... (picture above)

The meat was FALL-OFF-the-bone. LITERALLY. When I mixed the pot, the bones were already separated from the meat. The meat was still intact though and did not turn to mush. Short ribs are the kind of meat cuts that if you don't cook well, can be very tough. This method of cooking is great for making them tender.

So, tasting the dish, it was VERY flavorful, like some kind of barbecue sauce. I scooped out the meat and seasoned the sauce a bit more with salt and pepper before thickening it with the cornstarch mixture.

My husband really liked it and asked that he take it to work the next day as his lunch. (I think that is the best gauge of a successful dish... when your family asks you to brown bag it..... hehehehe)

A really great dish for lazy cooks and sometimes, you just need something easy to serve to your family. Hope you try this!