This fork tender braised beef is going to be one of your weeknight or weekend dinner. It’s super tender and flavorful, and the meat literally falls of the bone. Plus now I am giving you 3 options on how you can cook it, do.

I don’t cook meat like often in my house, but when I do, I go crazy and go over the top. After all, if I’m doing it only once in a while then might as well go big, right? Dish like steak, wellington, lamb shank, pot roast and braised beef are the kind of dish I personally categorize as quite heavy and more than my usual meat dishes. I don’t cook them often, most of the time when there’s occasion or very few times on regular days when I’m just feeling like it, which is very rare. The day I made this Braised Beef Short Ribs was one of those days where I was craving for meat (must be the cold weather).

I’m pretty sure you’ve had those days where you were just dreaming of a dish that you cannot wait to get your hand-on. It happens to all of us, and maybe it is not bad to give in from time to time. I love the fork tender fall of the bone texture of this dish, I love the flavor, it brings me back to my Asian heritage. But one thing I do not like about braised beef is it has a tendency to be oily and greasy because of the fat. The oil will starts to float on top as the sauce starts to reduce and if you are like me who is bothered about it, simply skim it out as best as you can. I have an easier way to do that and some other tips for a great tasting braised beef, down below this post. 

Hot & Spicy? It’s up to you

Let’s talk about spice level, how spicy do you like it? I like mine hot and spicy, I find that it somehow fight the oil and greasy taste of the beef, but in general I’m really into spicy foods beef or not beef. It’s up to you, add more or less depending on your preference.

Plan-Ahead If you are making this dish

Braised beef is a fantastic lunch or dinner option, but it does require planning ahead as it requires long hours of slow cooking. I like cooking braised beef in the oven for about 3 hrs at 300F, slow cooking not only tenderize the meat better but it also allows the meat to marinate longer in the sauce thus making it flavorful. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Ingredients:

• 1.6 lb beef flanks bone in
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 small white onion – sliced
• 2 cloves garlic – thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup beef stock (and more as necessary to get the beef tender)
• 1/4 cup sparkling juice (can also be replaced by 1/4 cup beef stock)
•  4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (or more if you like a sweeter braised beef)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 2 bay leaves

Oven Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 300F.
2. Prepare the Beef: Wash and dry the beef with paper towel. Generously season with salt and pepper. Roll in flour and make sure that all sides are well coated with flour.
3. Pan Sear the Beef: In a heated oven safe pan (like dutch-oven pan), add oil and coated beef  and sear the short ribs without moving for several minutes on each side (about 4 minutes), letting them brown deeply. Use tongs to turn and sear all sides. Make sure that the pan is not crowded. This will take about 15 minutes total. Take out from the pan and set aside.
   • Alternatively, you can also cook this in regular pan if you are going to cook it using stove instead of oven. Or
   • In Slow-Cooker, follow steps 1-4 then trasnfer n slow cooker and continu in step 5
4. Cook the onions:Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion and garlic around the browned short ribs. Let the onions cook until they soften, about 5 minutes.
5. Add liquid: Add the liquid – broth, wine, sparkling juice or soda — and bring to a simmer.
6. Cook until tender:  Add soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, pepper, chili flakes and by leaves. Cover and boil until the beef is tender.
   • You can do this on stove-top or slow-cooker. I used the oven at 300F for 3 hours while checking every 1 hour to see if more water is needed. The length of time could vary depending on the beef being used. The beef is cook when it is fork tender and the sauce has been reduced. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
   • If the braised beef is going to be used for Braised Noodle Soup, the consistency of the sauce should be a bit “brothy” rather than thick
7. Skim the excess fat: When the meat is done, skim the excess oil before serving.  Transfer in a bowl and remove the bay leave.
8. Refrigerate overnight: Short ribs can be served immediately once done, but if you have time to let it cool, keep it refrigerated. This way, the oil/fat could solidify and you can easily scoop it out.  Short beef ribs is a fatty cut, so this dish could get oily and greasy, if you do not have time to let it cool simply skim out the oil before serving.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

To cook in the slow cooker, progress through step 4, then transfer the meat, onions, and liquid to a slow cooker insert. Cook on the LOW setting for 8 hours.

Stove-top Instructions: 

Instead of transferring the pan to the oven, you can also cook the short ribs on the stove-top. Keep the pan covered and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 hours, checking liquid levels intermittently and making sure the bottom isn’t scorching. Add more liquid as needed.

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