- Let's talk beef short ribs.
Minimal prep time, maximum flavor.
Today in the Test Kitchen,
we're making Asian slow cooker short rib.
(soft music)
I've got these beautiful beef short ribs
that we're gonna infuse
with some really flavorful Asian ingredients
to make a simple, slow cooker meal.
We'll season our short ribs
with a mixture of Chinese five spice and some kosher salt.
Five spice is typically made
from a combination of star anise, clove, cinnamon
Szechuan peppercorn and fennel seed.
When incorporating these spices
with a beer that we'll be cooking in,
you'll get a wonderful flavor combination
of sweet and savory.
You'll wanna make sure to give them
a really good coating in the spice,
because it gives it a ton of character to this dish.
I love using Chuck short ribs for this recipe
because they are just so well marbled
and well complemented by these flavors.
I like to keep the meat on the bones for this recipe.
Since the bones will fortify the cooking liquid
with more beef flavors, they slow cook.
I'll get the pan preheated a medium high
before adding some oil.
Let's get these into the pan
and get a good sear on all sides.
It's important to work in batches
to make sure all the short ribs
get nicely seared
and the pan isn't overcrowded.
Overcrowding the pan will inhibit the development
of a great sear.
Yeah, those are getting a real nice sear.
It's always good to try and sear
the ends of the short ribs as well
because it creates more flavor.
Use the sides of the pan to your advantage
when searing the ends of the short ribs.
We'll get this batch into the slow cooker
before we start on our second round.
Now that's that beautiful crust that I'm going for.
That ought to give it so much flavor.
Like so many other recipes we do,
we'll dice a yellow onion and add that to the pan.
You can dice the onion, however you like.
It's gonna cook for quite a while.
So you don't have to worry
about mincing your onion super small.
We'll add this onion to the pan
and cook over medium heat
just to coax out some of that liquid from the onion.
This'll also help to pull up the fond
that's created in the bottom of that pan.
Next we'll add some beer.
I like to use a lager because it's mildly sweet
with very little of the bitter hot flavor.
Finally, add a quarter cup of soy sauce
to bring a little salt and umami to the braising liquid.
Then bring that to a simmer.
Now that this has come to a full simmer
it's ready to go into the slow cooker.
Just pour the liquid over the short ribs
and make sure that they are well submerged
before fixing the lid.
So now that we've started building
all these great flavors in here,
you can just set it to level and let it cook all day.
Once the short ribs are finished cooking,
you may wanna skim some of the fat
off of the top of the cooking liquid.
Gently push ladle below the surface of the fat
and allow some of the fat to flow in.
Remove as much or as little as you would like.
Bok choy is a perfect compliment to this beef.
So just give it a rough chop and add it to the slow cooker.
You may not use this very often,
but it really makes it a complete meal
by adding a hardy veggie.
The bok choy will cook off the residual heat.
So all you have to do is turn it off and it fix the lid.
Well, this is all finished cooking.
So let's play one up.
Oh yeah, that smell feels so good.
I can smell all the soy
and the cinnamon from the five spice.
You got this nice bok choy in here
gives us a nice little bit of green to go with that.
You know what, I think I'm gonna want two of these
they just smell so good.
To go along with that I want a little bit of this broth.
It's kind of like a stew, but it's not.
It's just smells so good.
I'll throw a little scallion on there for garnish.
Now it's time to dig in.
Barely need a knife.
Really don't need a knife.
I'm just trying to push it away from the bone.
Really taste that five spice.
Nice flavorful broth
a little about a bok choy in there for veggies it's great.
That's a super flavorful easy meal to make.
So remember to like and subscribe
and we'll see you next time here in the Test Kitchen.
(soft music)