Non-Tricky Treat

“This’ll stick to your ribs,” was a familiar childhood suppertime expression as the chill tendrils of Autumn heralded the countdown to Hallowe’en.  A steaming hot bowl of something unctuous and gelatinous is just the ticket at the turn of the seasons and – oxtail aside – nothing quite hits the spot like beef short ribs.

Beef short ribs – known among beardy hipster trendies as Jacob’s Ladder – are a cut of beef taken from the brisket, chuck, plate, or rib areas of beef cattle. They consist of a short portion of the rib bone, which is overlain by meat which varies in thickness.  In the UK, the ribs are cut parallel to the bone and leaves the bone up to 15cm in length.  

Cook them long and slow, and you can’t go wrong.  Here, we suggest braising very slowly in a cast iron casserole dish, Dutch oven or slow cooker.  Ribs that will, indeed, stick to your ribs…

To serve two adult hungry Trick or Treaters, you will need:

600g beef short ribs

4 echalions (banana shallots), kept whole
2 large carrots, cut into four pieces each
8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
Dark ale or Guinness
1 tbsp dark treacle
1 sprig thyme
1 big pinch smoked paprika
4 small potatoes
6-8 chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped

Here we go:

• Brown the ribs in hot sunflower oil on all sides – approximately five minutes – remove from pan and set aside
• Add roughly chopped bacon to the pan, fry over lively heat until rendered
• Add carrots and onions to bacon until lightly browned
• Add around 150ml ale/stout to the pan, ensuring to scrape up all the crispy, gorgeous burnt bits at the bottom while the beer fizzes and pops
• Add treacle and paprika at this point
• Transfer ribs, vegetables, bacon and juices to a casserole pot or slow cooker, and cook on a low heat for at least two hours (you may need to add a little more liquid at this point – beef stock or water)
• Add chunky potatoes and roughly chopped mushrooms to the pot; check seasoning and cook for a further hour – or until potatoes are done.  By now, the ribs will be falling off the bone
• Season and serve with a fiendish grin, gutsy red wine and big chunks of crusty sourdough bread to mop up the juices

Its SPOOKILY good!