January 9, 2016 Spicy Slow Cooked Short Ribs with Lime and Basil

I received my first slow cooker, a Crock Pot, almost thirty four years ago as a wedding present. It’s a very basic model,  just a low and high setting, no timers or special functions. Even though I have never replaced the glass lid that broke many years ago, I have other lids that fit just fine and it works as well today as the day I got it. I confess that in recent years my crock pot didn’t get much use, maybe just a little foodie snobbery on my part, only on Thanksgiving to keep soup warm or for hot apple cider. Then last February Joe used it to cook a short rib recipe from an article in a magazine as part of the multi course meal he treats me with every year for Valentine’s Day.

Before Christmas I discovered my brother and sister in law were in need of a slow cooker and I decided it would be a great and very practical gift.  I did some research and found one that I thought would fit the bill.  Not only can you slow cook in this model, you can brown your meat, steam vegetables or fish and it has a “keep warm” function that keeps your finished dish warm up to eight hours. Little did I know that when I was doing my research my hubby was looking for one for me as well. That meant my sister in law and I received new slow cookers (Cuisinart brand) as Christmas presents. It was the first gift I opened Christmas morning since Joe was anxious to recreate the recipe for our Christmas dinner.

The recipe for spicy slow cooked short ribs with lime and basil came from an article with recipes, Slow Cooker Secrets, in Fine Cooking magazine. Cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough wrote the article in conjunction with their recently published, The Great American Slow Cooker Book. Their goal in writing this book was to achieve the best results from an appliance that is found over 80% of American homes. They have found that the low and slow temperatures and the high moisture environment of the slow cooker are the perfect combination for braising all kinds of dishes. The busy cook can prepare their meal early in the day, set it and forget it while at work or doing other things.

Short ribs are a perfect match for the slow cooker. The meat is dense and well marbled with connective tissue that softens during the long cooking process.  Be sure to get English cut short ribs which are cut parallel to the bone rather than cut across the bone. Ribs cut across the bone are referred to as flanken cut and are used for Korean style short ribs.  Even though our slow cooker has a browning function, Joe thought he would achieve higher temperatures and better browning in a skillet. Once browned, the ribs are set aside and the onion is added to the same pan and cooked until soft. Additional aromatics, ginger, thyme, chilis, garlic, nutmeg and allspice are the next additions to the pan. The original recipe uses Thai bird chilies cut in half, we used whole (frozen from the garden) for a little less heat.

The next step is small but adds a unique flavor to the sauce.  A half cup of lime marmalade is stirred into the onions and aromatics.  Lime marmalade is found in the British section of many larger supermarkets and I think it’s tangy sweetness is worth looking for. If you can’t find it, orange marmalade is a good substitute, just add a little fresh lime juice and peel.

Add this sauce to the slow cooker insert, stir in soy and chicken broth and nestle your short ribs in the sauce. The ribs are cooked on low for 9 hours or 5-6 on high. The final step is to move the finished ribs to a platter, then defat and finish the sauce. Stir chopped basil into the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with additional basil leaves. We made this twice in the week between Christmas and New Year, once with bone-in short ribs, the other time with boneless, both were delicious. The short ribs were incredibly tender and the sauce was spicy with a delicious citrusy tang.   We served this with soft polenta finished with some Parmesan to sop up the juices. A definite keeper for us.

 

 

Spicy Short Ribs with Lime and Basil

Serves four

Ingredients

• 1T peanut oil
• 3lb bone-in short ribs
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 small Thai bird chilies, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 2 medium cloves garlic, quartered
• 1 3-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
• 1t dried thyme
• ½t ground allspice
• ¼t freshly grated nutmeg
• ½c lime marmalade
• ½c lower salt chicken broth
• 2T soy sauce
• 1T white wine vinegar
• 2T finely chopped fresh basil leaves; plus small leaves for garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet (or removable insert).
2. Add half the short ribs, turn once, brown well.
3. Transfer ribs to a bowl, repeat with remaining ribs.
4. Add onion and cook stirring often until soft (about 3 minutes).
5. Add chiles, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice and nutmeg
6. Stir until fragrant (about 1 minute).
7. Add marmalade and stir until melted.
8. Pour contents into slow cooker insert, if you were cooking in a skillet.
9. Stir in broth and soy sauce.
10. Nestle the ribs into the sauce pouring the meat juices into the pot.
11. Cover and cook until fork tender (5-6 hrs on high or 9 hrs on high).
12. The cooked ribs can stay on the “keep warm” setting for up to 2 hrs.
13. Use tongs to transfer the short ribs to serving bowls or a platter.
14. Strain the sauce, set aside.
15. Pour the sauce into a saucepan.
16. Add the vinegar to the sauce, bring to a boil, until reduced by half (about 8 min).
17. Stir in basil and cook for 1 minute to let the flavors meld.
18. Season to taste with salt and pepper, pour sauce over the short ribs.
19. Garnish with small basil leaves.