Coca Cola Braised Short Ribs
When I went to the kitchen to make dinner tonight I found that I didn't have many options. The only protein I found was two pounds of bone-in short ribs. Great, except that I didn't have any beef (or chicken) stock or any red wine - I need to get to the grocery store. Well short ribs pretty much have to be braised so I had to figure out another combination of braising liquids. My options were limited. The result was delicious, I'm proud of this one.
Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons canola oil
2 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon espresso (or any finely ground coffee bean)
1/2 teaspoon all-spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 head of garlic, lightly crush and peel all the cloves
2 cans Coca-Cola (2.5 cups)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels. Let them come to room temperature. Meanwhile combine the cocoa powder, espresso, all-spice, salt and pepper. Transfer "spice" mix to a plate, coat each short rib on all sides with the spice mix, shake off any excess. Over medium-high heat brown the short ribs in the canola oil (~4-5 minutes per side). Transfer to a clean plate.
Add a little fresh oil to the Dutch oven and saute the garlic over medium heat until it begins to brown and soften. Add the Coca-Cola, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce to the Dutch oven, be sure to scrape up any brown bits. Return the short ribs to the Dutch oven, bring to a boil, cover and cook in the oven at 350 for 2 hours.
Remove the short ribs from the Dutch oven and let rest. Place the Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat, strain out the garlic with a slotted spoon and reduce the cola sauce by half, salt to taste. When the short ribs have rested for at least 5 minutes, remove the bones, slice off the layer of fat on the bone side and serve with the sauce.
Bon appetit!
These sounds very interesting! In a good way...not a skeptical Minnesota way =)
ReplyDeleteI tried this recipe a few days ago - I was excited with the combination used for the rub. I must say, this tasted EXCELLENT - these were new (cooking wise) for me. I didn't expect the taste, but oh boy did I LOVE it! It was such a nice, rich BBQ flavor. My boyfriend loved it too.. definitely making again soon for a larger crowd :)
ReplyDeleteHave a question.. vs. red wine/beef broth, does Cola give the short ribs a subtle syrupy flavor?
Thank you so much for your comment Jennilyn! I'm thrilled you both enjoyed this recipe. I think you are probably correct about the syrupy flavor, which is likely a result of the HFCS in the U.S.-version of Coca Cola. I'm now wondering how this recipe would taste with a natural sugar cola...I think I'll have to test it out.
ReplyDelete