Cooking beef ribs in the oven can result in a tender, flavoursome meal that falls apart with just a fork. The secret is to either cook them on a low heat over a long period of time, or do what Chef Martin Boetz does and cook them twice!
Twice cooking beef ribs (first by braising, then by roasting in the oven or barbecue) prevents the meat from drying out and also provides another opportunity to increase the flavour profile of the end dish.
This recipe uses quality wagyu beef ribs, however any kind of short rib beef will work!
ABOUT THIS RECIPE
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2L beef stock
6 cloves garlic, peeled, plus 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, to serve
2 small brown onions
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
4 ripe tomatoes
60ml olive oil
1 stalk rosemary
½ bunch thyme
1 cup white wine
Salt and cracked black pepper, to season
1 piece beef short ribs (2kg)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, to serve
Zest of ½ orange
Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Bring beef stock to the boil in a large saucepan.
Chop peeled garlic, onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes into uniform-size pieces. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based pot over a medium to high heat. Add vegetables to pot. Caramelise the vegetables, stirring continually.
Stir in rosemary and thyme then deglaze pot with white wine. Add hot stock and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper.
Place ribs in a deep roasting pan and pour over stock and vegetable mixture. Cover with a large sheet of baking paper and foil. Braise for 2 hours or until meat on ribs is tender. Remove ribs from liquid and set aside to cool.
Mouli the liquid and vegetable mixture over a large saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until reduced to a rich sauce. Add tomato paste to give it a good tomato kick and richness.
Cut the ribs into pieces. Grill them on a barbecue or hot oiled chargrill plate until well caramelised. Place ribs on a serving plate and pour over rich sauce. Finish with chopped parsley, chopped garlic and orange zest sprinkled over and serve.