Braised beef short ribs. Probably my favorite meat dish in the world (with the exception of a perfectly prepared cheeseburger.) If they are on the menu, chances are 99 times out of 100, I am going to order them. For those of you who follow my blog and/or know me, it should come as no surprise that I love braised meats that are fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth, and fork-tender. And while I love pull-apart chicken, carnitas, and Osso Buco, braised beef short ribs just can’t be beat (although an awesome Osso Buco comes pretty darn close!)

I enjoyed my favorite short ribs ever at least a decade ago at Bloomsbury Bistro, an awesome dining destination in Raleigh’s Five Points neighborhood. They were cooked Asian style and were absolutely amazing. I think they were served with rice and some sort of green veggie, whatever — I just remember the ribs, which were incredibly tender with an awesome tangy, but not too sweet, flavor. They were perfect. Just perfect.

I’ve tried to recreate Bloomsbury’s awesome Asian beef short ribs, but honestly after more than 10 years since I’ve had them, who knows how close I am. What I do know is that you will love my recipe, which is so easy since your slow cooker does all of the work to achieve fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth, ribs.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 bone-in beef short ribs (1½-2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ cup low-sodium beef broth (or water), plus ¼ cup
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 2 teaspoons hot chili sesame oil
• Hot cooked rice (or Asian rice noodles)
• Chopped green onions, optional
• Sesame seeds (plain or toasted), optional

Preparation

Brown beef ribs in olive oil on all sides. (I do this in my Ninja Cooking System, but a large skillet will work as well.)

Place short ribs at the bottom of the slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, beef broth, orange juice, vinegar honey, ginger, garlic, orange zest, and black pepper.

Pour soy mixture over ribs.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours), until beef is fork tender.

Remove ribs from cooking liquid. Skim and discard oil/melted fat from the top of the cooking liquid.

Stir in ¼ cup of beef broth and sesame oil into the cooking liquid and return ribs to the slow cooker, reheating for a few minutes until warm.

Garnish with chopped green onions and/or toasted sesame seeds, if desired.

Serve beef ribs and sauce with hot cooked rice or rice noodles and creamy broccoli slaw.