The best cut for this recipe is short ribs on the long bone or English style, and I plan for one per person. They are at their finest cooked slowly, until the meat falls off. The fat content bastes the meat, making it juicy and full-flavoured. I find mesquite wood chips give the best flavour.
Servings: 4
Ready Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup beef stock
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 cup onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 dried red chilies
4 pieces beef short ribs (about 3 pounds/1.5 kilograms)
Method
Soak about 2 cups wood chips in water for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Combine beef stock, water, bay leaf, onion, garlic and chilies.
Place ribs in a Dutch oven or roasting pan and pour liquid over them. Cover and bake for 2 hours, turning halfway through, or until meat is nearly tender but still has some texture.
Remove ribs from roasting liquid and set aside. Transfer roasting liquid to a pot, skim fat and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Strain sauce, reserving cooked garlic. Mash garlic with a fork and add to reduced sauce. Discard chili, bay leaves and onion. Set sauce aside.
Place soaked wood chips in a metal container and cover with foil. Punch holes in foil to allow smoke to escape. Place wood chips under grate above back burner on the barbecue.
Preheat grill to 300 F. Turn off middle burner.
Season ribs with salt and pepper, place on grill above turned-off burner and grill slowly for 1.5 hours or until meat is very tender and outside is caramelized, basting with reserved sauce and turning every 20 minutes. Serve any remaining sauce with ribs and, if you like, barbecue sauce.
Lucy Waverman