Asian-style Short Ribs With Lacquered Carrots

I was really craving beef yesterday, specifically short ribs. I decided to make some for dinner tonight. The ones I usually make have an Italian vibe to them.  I thought I'd mix it up this time and try something with an Asian spin.

Whenever I make short ribs I do them the night before so that I can skim the solidified fat off easily the next day. I wouldn't recommend making them unless you can do this. There is so much fat in short ribs, that's why they taste so good! But it is extremely important to remove most of it and not serve it to your family.

I made some earlier today and with the help of some ice cubes and the refrigerator, I was able to get the fat to harden and remove it before dinner time. What was left was the most tender meat and succulent sauce. Slightly sweet and tons of flavor. The carrots were the perfect accompaniment. I served it over steamed brown rice.

When you read the recipe it might sound like there is a lot to this dish. The browning of the meat  and cutting of the onions is as hard as it gets. I buy jars of pre-chopped garlic and ginger so there is little to no effort there. Once it's in the oven you will have a couple hours to get stuff down around the house, play with the kids.

Unfortunately I had a computer crash and lost all of my pictures. Hopefully you can just imagine them, maybe even dream about them tonight!

Asian-style Short Ribs With Lacquered Carrots
Braises and Stews: Everyday Slow-Cooked Recipes by Tori Ritchie -Revised by Foodism Mom

• 3 lbs beef short ribs on the bone (about 6), as lean as you can find and trimmed of excess fat
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger (I buy mine jarred)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 cups bagged mini carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse the short ribs and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat the bottom of a 5-7 quart Dutch oven with a thin film of vegetable oil and set pot over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add enough short ribs to cover the bottom in 1 layer. Cook, without stirring, until short ribs lift easily from pot with tongs and are well browned on bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and brown on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and continue with remaining short ribs, adding more oil to pot in between batches as needed.

Meanwhile, stir together the orange juice, soy and brown sugar. Set aside.

When the last batch of short ribs has been removed from pot, drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat and add the onion. Cook, stirring and scraping the brown bits off the bottom, until onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir 1 minute more until fragrant. Pour in orange juice mixture, let come to a boil, then put short ribs back in pot 1 at a time, bone side up; don't worry if you have to snuggle them a little bit.

Cover pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until meat peels easily away from bone when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and transfer meat and bones to a plate. (The recipe can be made ahead to this point; let cool to room temperature and place short ribs and sauce in separate containers and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)

If serving dish right away, cover meat with foil to keep warm. Tilt pot to one side and spoon off as much fat as possible from sauce. Place pot over high heat and add the carrots and 1 cup of water; bring to a boil. (If made ahead, lift and remove solidified fat from top of sauce. Put sauce in a wide, deep pan, add carrots and water and continue as directed.) Reduce heat slightly and cook, uncovered, at a steady simmer until sauce is reduced by about half and carrots are just tender, 12-15 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Return meat briefly to pan to rewarm, then serve. (If reheating meat from refrigerator, cover pan and heat in sauce for about ten minutes). Spoon the sauce on top of short ribs and carrots.

Serves 4.