If you’ve spent any time in the kitchen, there are two universal truths everyone should know about braised short ribs: they’re simple to prepare and guests always love them.
Short ribs are a sure thing.
That’s because in the pantheon of beef cuts, the braised short rib is as close to a slam dunk as there is. It’s the 1-inch tap in on the 18th green. That’s because the short rib — whether the long-bone version from the plate primal or the shorter-yet-beefier alternative from the chuck — is naturally packed with amazing marbling.
Marbling is so prevalent that when slow cooked, flavor is extracted leaving you with a robust, rich, tender eating experience. But there’s one more thing about braised short ribs … they’re kinda boring.
Sure, there are chefs who like to slice short ribs thin and grill them up in some form of Korean cuisine. And pitmasters love to smoke long-bone short ribs for their impressive presentation, but apart from that, there really isn’t a whole lot else to make them more exciting. At least until Chef Ashley Breneman tossed a few short ribs into her dry-aging cooler because … why the heck not?
Dry aging, of course, allows for the evaporation of moisture within the meat, leaving higher concentrations of beefy flavors and notes of whatever else happens to be that environment. And since short ribs are naturally supercharged with marblicious beefy flavors, the result is something truly divine.
Imagine a classic braised short rib texture, but with intense beefiness and so much funk it could host its own episode of Soul Train. That’s what we’re talking about. It’s a game-changer in the beef world, and one that invites an entirely new thought process of how to utilize always-delicious short ribs.
Short ribs? Definitely worth a second look, some creativity in the kitchen. Yes, the yield loss is pretty substantial, but the end product may convince you that it more than justifies the means.
Happy cooking!
