Braised Chilli Beef Short Ribs

Braised chilli beef short ribs are the most succulent, fall off the bone and finger licking delicious. Shred the beef and ladle the sauce onto mashed potatoes. You will want to make this again and again. If you want, you can serve it with some vegetables, but I didn’t feel the need to make it healthy. To me, this was comfort. It tasted like home! After a long week of exams and work, this is exactly what I needed.

Ingredients 

1.2 kg beef short ribs- bone in and cut separately 

1 teaspoon salt- for the ribs 

1 teaspoon black pepper- for the ribs 

2 tablespoons oil

3 medium onions- cubed 

6 medium cloves garlic- minced 

2-3 bay leaves 

1 cinnamon stick 

6 long dried chillies- deseeded 

2 teaspoons paprika 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1 teaspoon oregano 

1 teaspoon coriander powder 

1 teaspoon cumin powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon dried thyme 

1 teaspoon gochujang paste/ tomato paste

500ml beef stock 

250 ml hot water 

Instructions 

1. Season the beef and short ribs with salt and pepper. 

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot on a high heat. Once it is smoking, add the meat and sear it on all sides until golden brown and caramelised. Cook the meat and bones in batches. Set the meat aside. 

3. Sauté the onions and garlic in the same oil for 2-3 minutes. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and chillies. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the herbs and spices and mix it in. Add the gochujang/ tomato paste. As you mix it in, you will notice that it’s very thick. Add 250ml hot water to loosen it up. 

4. Once the mixture thickens add the beef stock. Bring it a boil, turn the heat down and simmer it for 10 minutes until chillies soften. 

5. Cool the mixture slightly before blending until smooth. Strain if you wish. 

6. Preheat the oven to 200c, once the oven is hot turn the temperature to 170c. Cover the pot with its lid and slow cook the meat for 3-4 hours until the tender and the meat falls off the bones. 

7. Serve the braised chilli beef short ribs with garlic mashed potatoes