Michelin star chef shares holiday recipe
South African Michelin star chef Thinus van der Westhuizen shared his braised beef short ribs recipe for you to enjoy this Christmas.
Looking for a delicious, hearty, festive meal for Christmas? We've got you covered.
READ: SA chef's restaurant awarded with Michelin star
Martin Bester spoke to chef Thinus van der Westhuizen, head chef at 99 Sushi Bar in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It was one of the first establishments to be awarded a Michelin star in a Middle Eastern country.
Van der Westhuizen himself is no stranger to the Michelin status as he is one of only five South African chefs with a Michelin star.
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The acclaimed chef shared his recipe for delicious braised beef short ribs during his interview.
Here’s the full recipe:
Braised Beef Short Ribs
PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOK TIME: Overnight
TOTAL TIME: 12 hrs 15 mins
SERVINGS: 6 servings
A non-alcoholic substitute for the wine in this recipe would be to use more stock spiked with a hefty dose of balsamic vinegar and a dab of tomato paste. The flavour won't be the same as if you had used wine, but it will still be worth making.
Ingredients:
- 12 beef short ribs, bone-in, about 6 pounds
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 (750-ml) bottle good dry red wine (we used a zinfandel)
- 6 cups veal stock (or substitute beef stock) Method
1. Brown the ribs:
Try and remove some of the access fat on the ribs, this will prevent it from burning later, Preheat oven to 80°C. Season ribs to taste with the salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof pan over high heat. Add ribs and brown on all sides. Work in batches if you need to so that the ribs don't get crowded (this will help with browning).
2. Sauté the vegetables:
Transfer ribs to a plate. Pour off the excess fat (do not put down the drain or you will clog your sink!). Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pan and sauté, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan, set aside.
3. Deglaze the pan with wine, then reduce sauce:
Add the wine to the pan, deglazing the pan, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by three-quarters until thick and slightly syrupy, about 15 minutes on high heat.
4. Braise the ribs in oven:
Return the ribs to the pan, add the beef stock and enough water to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, cover with foil, and place in the oven. Braise, cooking in the oven, until the meat is fork-tender, overnight for 10-12 hours(depending on oven)
During the last 2 hours of cooking, add back in the vegetables.
5. Remove the excess fat:
Allow the ribs to cool down after braising (the cool-down pieces are easier to handle), remove the excess fat that has solidified at the top from the overnight chilling.
6. Reduce the sauce without the ribs to use as basting liquid:
Place the pan with cooking liquid over medium heat, uncovered. Cook until the liquid has reduced by three-quarters, about 1 hour. Continue to cook, until the sauce is thick and perfect to glaze ribs while smoking. Take care not to burn the glaze
7. Smoking the Ribs:
Set up your smoker for direct heat at about (150°C) Leave the ribs in the pan for best results.
Apply cherry/maple smoke for about two hours. (Other smoking woods will work fine)
You can do this in a Webber/ smoker it should have the same effect.
During the smoking process use the reduced braising liquid made from the rib stock to brush every 15 min or so to induce a strong glaze on each piece of shortrib.
Be careful when handling the ribs as they are very tender and can fall apart, you can also Pull the ribs for sliders or Sandwiches.
It can be served with mash potatoes/mielie pap/ polenta or whichever you prefer.
The key step is after the initial slow cooking, to let the beef short ribs cool and then chill overnight in the refrigerator. This makes it much easier to remove the generous amount of excess fat that ends up solidifying in the chilling process.
The ribs also spend the whole night absorbing the flavour of the stock.
Other Tips for Great Beef Short Ribs:
- Use good wine. You must use a good bottle of wine, a wine you like to drink. The better the wine, the better the result.
- Use a good beef stock.
How To Store and Reheat Leftover Beef Short Ribs:
To store leftover short ribs, place them in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. Reheat over medium heat on the stovetop in a pot with a lid on it, checking frequently and stirring until heated through.
To freeze these leftover short ribs, freeze them with their sauce in an airtight, freezer-safe container that's a tight fit for them (you don't want too much air in the container or they'll get freezer burn). Or, place them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and remove all the air. Freeze for up to three months. Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop.
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