We've got our sights set on Super Bowl parties and the meaty crowd-pleaser that is beef short ribs. Do you braise them into a tender heap or play it fast and loose with a grilled Korean kalbi? Tell us what cuts to look for, your stance in the bone-in/bone-out debate, and how you get the most from this complex hunk...
These are not your usual contests. We have a slightly nutty system but it works. Together, the Food52 community has created two cookbooks this way -- there’s no stopping us now. Read about it
Read about it »
photo 1 of 22
A bright array of ingredients assembled and ready to go.
photo 2 of 22
You soak the dried mushrooms in hot water and then add both them and the soaking liquid to the braise.
photo 3 of 22
photo 4 of 22
As always, it's crucial to season the meat before browning it.
photo 5 of 22
Amanda browns the short ribs in batches.
photo 6 of 22
You really want to caramelize all surfaces -- there's no substitute for the flavor of well-browned meat.
photo 7 of 22
Prep session!
photo 8 of 22
After the short ribs are seared, it's time for the veg.
photo 9 of 22
Mininally Invasive has you clear a hot spot to cook the anchovy and tomato paste for a minute on their own.
photo 10 of 22
The mushrooms are nice and tender at this point, and they go back into the pot with canned tomatoes, red wine, mustard and herbs.
photo 11 of 22
photo 12 of 22
Once the short ribs are back in, you add just enough stock to cover them, bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 3 hours.
photo 13 of 22
Amanda tests the meat for doneness.
photo 14 of 22
Fork tender!
photo 15 of 22
This perforated skimmer is very useful for fishing things out of the sauce, like the two bay leaves hiding among the veggies.
photo 16 of 22
An immersion blender renders the sauce thick and almost creamy.
photo 17 of 22
Shredding the tender meat.
photo 18 of 22
If only there were a dog around!
photo 19 of 22
Putting together the gremolata, as you can see, is a very complicated and labor-intensive task. Ha!
photo 20 of 22
photo 21 of 22
Polenta makes the perfect soft cushion for the rich, buttery shreds of meat.
photo 22 of 22
photo 1 of 11
The ingredients -- plus an errant chunk of fire-roasted tomato that must have wandered over from the Short Ribs Ragu slideshow.
photo 2 of 11
Ask your butcher for extra-thin short ribs -- you're looking for 1/8-1/4 inch.
photo 3 of 11
Once the ribs are arranged in a single layer, you pour a mixture of sake and pear (or apple) juice over them and put them in the fridge for a couple of hours.
photo 4 of 11
For the second stage of the marinade, we threw the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mixed.
photo 5 of 11
photo 6 of 11
Generous with the ground pepper -- as usual.
photo 7 of 11
This second marinade gets poured over the short ribs, which then sit in the fridge overnight, getting nice and tender.
photo 8 of 11
You'd think this looks adequately covered, right? Apparently, not enough to discourage the two squirrels playing outside (where we kept the meat cold because of a full fridge) from trying to abscond with a piece of the meat. Aren't squirrels vegetarians?
photo 9 of 11
We laid the pieces that remained untainted by the squirrels on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler.
photo 10 of 11
We didn't include too much of the marinade on the ribs, because we wanted to avoid flare-ups. They still got nice and brown.
photo 11 of 11
