Asian Short Ribs

A cool breeze whispered through my home office this morning.
The crisp, nearly-autumn smell of the Durango air made me pine for something. . .for anything braised.

Luckily, a few frozen short ribs awaited instruction. I took a short break from work, and within an hour, the aroma of asian short ribs filled my home. This recipe developed out of items I had on-hand in my pantry and fridge. It sure was a nice way to start a Monday.

Asian Short Ribs
1 oz. shitake mushrooms
6 cups beef broth
6 pounds beef short ribs
1-1/2" ginger root, sliced into 7 rounds
2 t. coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 c. white wine

2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. arrowroot powder
2 green onions for garnish, sliced thinly

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Soak the dried shitake mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes (these can soak while you're preparing the rest of the recipe).

Generously salt and pepper the short ribs. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 T. grapeseed oil and brown each rib on all four sides (you can place several ribs in the pan at once to save time). Set the ribs into a Dutch oven once they become browned (or any large, oven-safe pan with a tight-fitting lid).

Add broth, ginger, coconut aminos, brown sugar, and wine to Dutch oven and browned ribs.

Saute onions over medium heat in the frying pan until browned and translucent. Add minced garlic and saute for one minute. Transfer the onions and garlic to Dutch oven. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 c. water to transfer any flavorful, browned bits to the Ditch oven.

Slice the soaked, softened mushrooms thinly and add to the dutch oven. Add their soaking water, too! There may be some gritty solids at the bottom of the mushroom soaking bowl. . .don't add these.

Cover tightly with lid and bake for about 4 hours at 300 degrees. There is no need to turn the meat during cooking.

For a flavorful sauce, remove cooked ribs and place in separate bowl. Separate the onions and mushrooms from the gravy with a strainer (don't throw these solids away!). De-fat the gravy with a gravy/fat separator. Return the onions, mushrooms, and de-fatted gravy to the Dutch oven. In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot powder with a tablespoon of cold water. Mix until smooth, then add to the gravy. Heat gravy until slightly thickened. Add ribs back into the pan and stir to coat with the gravy.

Serve over mashed potatoes, aside rice, or with sauteed greens.
My kids like to have some good bbq sauce on hand, and adore the option of not using utensils!

Have lots of napkins on hand and dig in.
Enjoy!