Asian Short Ribs

Braised Asian Short Ribs are incredibly delicious. Tender, flavorful beef ribs with a rich sauce can be served boneless or with the meat on the bone.

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What Makes Asian Beef Short Ribs So Good? 

Sticky sweet and savory. Who doesn't love good Asian short ribs? Braised beef short ribs are the ultimate finger food, and mastering this simple recipe will allow you to make better-than-takeout ribs at home for a fraction of the cost. 

Why This Recipe Is So Easy To Make

What could be better than fork-tender, succulent ribs? How about fork-tender, succulent ribs that are easy to make?

This Asian Beef Short Ribs recipe is as close to a set-it-and-forget dinner as you can get -- driving to the restaurant would take more effort!

And to make preparation even simpler, check out the slow cooker version in the Variations section below. 

Ingredients For Braised Asian Short Ribs

For this recipe, you'll need:

• Beef short ribs 
• Soy sauce
• Chicken stock 
• Dark brown sugar
• Mirin 
• Five spice powder
• Garlic 
• Cornstarch
• Water

Ingredient Notes

Mirin is a semi-sweet rice wine with just a bit of tang, and the real stuff can be a little challenging to find in the US. The type you typically find in most supermarkets labeled aji-mirin isn’t real mirin, but it will work in this recipe.

Alternatively, you can use white vinegar sweetened with sugar, Manzanilla sherry, or unsweetened white grape juice with a few drops of lemon or white vinegar for a bit of a zip.

Five spice powder is a popular Chinese seasoning that contains a variety of different spices. Although the exact proportions or even the spices used in the mix are not set in stone, most traditional blends use sweeter spices, including cinnamon, clove, star anise, and fennel seeds, along with some Sichuan peppercorns for some heat.

You can make it yourself or buy it online, but check the ingredients to ensure you get one with the correct flavor profile. 

How To Make the Ribs 

To prepare the Asian short ribs marinade:

1. Combine the brown sugar and five spice powder in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, and mirin. Whisk together until the sugar starts to dissolve. 
3. Roughly chop the garlic and add it to the bowl.
4. Cover and place in the fridge until needed. 

To cook the Asian style short ribs:

1. Set the rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Put the short ribs into a Dutch oven or heavy baking dish with a lid and give it a shake to spread out the ribs.
3. Whisk the Asian marinade together and pour it over the ribs. 

4. Cover and braise unit the meat is fork tender, about three to four hours. Stir the ribs halfway through the cooking time to prevent sticking.
5. Remove the ribs from the pot and place them on a wire rack over a paper towel-lined baking tray.
6. You can leave the meat on the bone or remove and shred it. If you shred it, combine it with the sauce.

To make the sauce for the braised Asian short ribs:

1. Skim the fat from the sauce with a spoon. Using a fat separator makes the job much easier.
2. Pour about two cups of the defatted sauce into a small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with an equal amount of water.

4. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce.
5. Cook the sauce until it thickens. Stir constantly and watch the heat to prevent it from burning.

Substitutions

While this recipe calls for beef short ribs, they are often difficult to find in the store for a fair price. Don’t worry. There are alternatives:

• Spare ribs are larger than short ribs and have less meat, but they tend to be even more flavorful. 
• Beef shanks are a tough, but flavorful cut from the upper portion of the cow’s legs. They are a more economical option than short ribs or spare ribs, but you will need to increase the cooking time. 
• Believe it or not, chuck roast can fill in for shorts in a pinch. Just cut the meat into short rib-sized pieces and cook according to the recipe below. If you plan on shredding the beef, chuck roast may be the way to go. 

Variations

Try customizing these Asian style short ribs to suit your preferences:

• Bump up the flavor. Increase the garlic or add sliced onions to the braising liquid. 
• Make an Asian short ribs slow cooker version. Slow cookers are perfect for this recipe because the long, low temp cooking time breaks down the collagen in the short ribs perfectly. The downside is you'll need about six hours of cooking time!

Equipment You Will Need 

The essential piece of equipment for this dish is a heavy bottom, something like a cast-iron Dutch oven or an enameled French oven. Both do a great job, but Dutch ovens tend to be cheaper. You can also use any heavy, oven-safe pot with a lid.

A fat separator is also an excellent gadget to keep around. It may look like a watering can, but it does a great job of allowing the fat to float to the surface and pouring just the sauce.

If you are using the slow cooker method, you’ll need one large enough to fit the entire recipe. 

What Should You Serve With Asian Beef Ribs 

Ribs slathered in sauce are great as an appetizer, snack, or meal served over rice or noodles.

You can also remove the meat, shred it, and stuff it into a Taiwanese bao, an onigirazu, or a sub roll with pickled carrots and radish. 

How To Store the Leftovers 

Short ribs will keep for about three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

For any longer than that, you will want to freeze the cooked ribs on a baking tray and then transfer them to a freezer bag. They will keep frozen for up to three months.

What’s the Best Way to Reheat Short Ribs

The best way to warm thawed short ribs in the oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Place the ribs on top of an aluminum foil-lined baking tray. Sprinkle some water along the sides of the tray.
3. Cover the baking tray with two layers of aluminum foil, and heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the ribs are hot.