There's nothing I love more then a bit of gastro pub grub, and braised beef short ribs is up there with the best. So I thought how hard can it be to make at home? the answer.... super easy. The slowcooker does all the hard work for you, the most you'll have to do is brown off the beef and veggies first, then pop it in the slow cooker to slow cook all day (well for at least 6hours).. sound good? Then give this recipe a go, it's easily as delicious as any roast joint for a family meal and you don't have to worry about it being over cooked because quite frankly the longer you leave it slow cooking the better it will taste.
I serve mine with creamy mash and crispy battered shallots for the full gastro pub experience but it tastes fantastic with any kind of potatoes and veggies of your preference. See the tips below for extra info.
Prep time 20mins
Cooking time 7-9hrs
4 beef short ribs (when buying make sure you are able to fit them in your slow cooker, if you can't fit them in swap for 700g brisket or beef cheek)
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
3 shallots, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, bashed
250ml red wine
3 sprigs each of fresh thyme and rosemary
2bay leaves
500ml of beef stock (or enough so that the beef ribs are fully submerged)
150g cherry vine tomatoes
In a bowl pop the beef ribs season all over with the 2tbsp of the oil, salt and pepper.
Heat a large frying pan to a high heat and add 1tbsp of oil, once hot seal the beef ribs on all sides and place in to your slow cooker.
Now in the same pan add a drizzle more oil if needed and add the shallots, carrot, celery and garlic cook on a medium to high heat for a couple of minutes to then pour in the red wine, use a whisk to deglaze the pan. Turn the heat up and let the wine reduce but 2/3rds. (Deglaze means to get all the crispy bits of beef that may have stuck to the pan while browning it off from the bottom of the pan, it'll all add to the flavour)
Pour it all in to the slow cooker with the beef ribs.
To the slow cooker add the fresh herbs and bay leaves and the beef stock. Ensure the ribs are just submerged. Pop the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6hrs to start.
After the 6 hours add in the tomatoes, recover and leave for another 1.5hrs
After the added 1.5hrs check that the ribs are very tender and you can easily shred it from the bone. Remove the ribs from the sauce, cover and set aside.
Strain the liquid into a saucepan and turn up high to reduce for 15mins, or until you have the constancy you are after, (see tip below for a gravy thickening cheat) . I like to shred the meat in this time and add it to the cooking liquid once its reduced to get fully covered but some people like to leave the meat on the bone and drizzle the the gravy over once its plated up. Don't forget to taste the sauce once its reduced and add more seasoning if required, it doesn't normally need a little more salt and pepper but that's up to you individually.
If your gravy really isn't thickening to your liking you can always add 1tbsp of cornflour to 100ml of cold water, stir until combined and then pour in to the cooking liquid
