Gochujang Braised Short Rib with Asparagus Couscous
Ten minutes of work. Three hours of patience. Worth every second.
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This is one of the best thing I've cooked to date. I'll stand by that.
Not because it's complicated. It isn't. Not because it took all day. It didn't. Because when you put a plate of short rib in front of someone, glossy, dark, pulling away from the bone, and they ask what restaurant you ordered from, and you tell them you made it, that's a feeling you can't replicate any other way.
Ten minutes of actual work. Then the oven does the rest.
The technique is a braise, which sounds more serious than it is. You sear the ribs hard on both sides to build a crust, pull them out, build your aromatics in the same pan, add your liquid, put the ribs back in, cover it, and walk away for three hours. That's it. Time is completely on your side. If you leave them an extra hour, covered, they'll be fine. The only way to lose is to rush.
What makes this one different from a standard braise is the liquid. Beef stock is the base. Soy sauce for depth and salt. Then a big spoonful of gochujang, Korean fermented chili paste, that brings heat and funk and a redness that stains the whole braise a deep, lacquered color. It doesn't taste Korean exactly. It tastes like something you can't quite place, which is exactly the point.
The aromatics do quiet work underneath all of that. Carrots, onions, garlic. Two star anise. Two bay leaves. An orange rind. None of these announce themselves in the finished dish. They're building a floor that the gochujang and soy stand on.
After the braise, strain the liquid. Run it through a fat separator if you have one. Then reduce by half over high heat until thick and glossy. Off heat, stir in butter. Then a tablespoon of black Chinese vinegar.
That last addition is the thing. Black Chinese vinegar has a sweetness and depth that regular rice vinegar doesn't. It rounds everything out, cuts through the richness, and makes you want another bite immediately. Find it. It costs four dollars and it belongs in your pantry.
The asparagus couscous is what I'd call an honest side. Couscous cooked in stock, asparagus cut and thrown in for the last four minutes. It absorbs the sauce well and keeps things from feeling too heavy.
One more thing: make extra. The leftovers are genuinely better the next day. I turned mine into udon noodles. That recipe is coming.
Recipe
Ingredients
Short Rib
4 lbs bone-in short ribs (about 5 ribs)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp schmaltz or neutral oil
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
Rind of 1 orange
1½ cups beef stock
¼ cup soy sauce
1 heaping tbsp gochujang
To Finish the Sauce
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp black Chinese vinegar (Chinkiang)
Asparagus Couscous
1 cup couscous
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt to taste
Steps
1. Preheat and sear.
Preheat oven to 325°. Season the short ribs generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat schmaltz or oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Sear the ribs on the top and bottom, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Work in batches if needed. Remove and set aside.
2. Build the braise.
In the same pot, sauté the carrots, onion, and garlic over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the star anise, bay leaves, and orange rind. Stir to combine. Nestle the short ribs back in, meat side down. Pour in the beef stock, soy sauce, and gochujang. The liquid should come about halfway up the ribs.
3. Braise.
Cover tightly and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 hours. The ribs are done when the meat is pulling away from the bone and yields easily to a fork. An extra hour covered won't hurt them.
4. Finish the sauce.
Remove the ribs and set aside to rest. Strain the braising liquid and run it through a fat separator. Return the defatted liquid to the pot over high heat and reduce by half, 8 to 10 minutes, until glossy. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter until melted and the sauce goes silken. Add the black Chinese vinegar. Taste for salt.
5. Make the couscous.
Bring stock to a boil. Add couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat. After 4 minutes, add the asparagus, cover again, and let sit another 4 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt.
6. Plate.
Couscous down first. Short rib on top. Spoon the sauce generously over everything.
At a Glance
Prep Time:
10
Cook Time:
3-4 hours
Serves:
4
Difficulty:
Easy
Dinner
Romantic
Beef
Long Braise