Short Ribs

The short ribs were incredibly delicious, if I do say so myself.  Didn't take any pictures, but they turned out exactly like the picture on Pinterest, which I shall nick.  Weaver of Grass wasn't sure what short ribs are called in England so I looked it up and I'm still not sure.  They aren't pork ribs, they're beef ribs and I assume they're called short ribs because unlike pork spare ribs they are short.
 Anyway, here's the recipe and how I adjusted it for us.

Short Ribs Cooked in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients

3 Pounds bone-in beef short ribs--HA!  This would cost a fortune, for the 2 of us I bought 4 ribs

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1/2  Tsp. Pepper

1 TBS Oil,  I used Olive Oil

4 Medium Carrots cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Cup Beef Broth, I use canned Beef Broth

4 Fresh Thyme Sprigs, I used a 1/4 Tsp of dried Thyme

1 Bay Leaf, I used dried

2 Large Onions cut into 1/2 inch wedges, I used 1

6 Garlic cloves minced you could leave this out if you don't like garlic or you're a vampire

1 TBS Tomato Paste, I didn't have any so I used Catsup

2 Cups Dry Red Wine or Beef Broth  I used 1 of each

3 TBS of cold water
4 TBS Cornstarch

Directions

1.  Sprinkle ribs with the salt and pepper.  In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat.  Brown the ribs on all sides and then transfer to the slow cooker, add the carrots, a cup of beef broth, thyme and bay leaves, don't turn the cooker on yet.

2.  Add onions to the skillet you browned the ribs in and stir over medium heat until tender, don't brown.  Add garlic and tomato paste, stir and cook for about a minute.  Stir in the wine or more beef broth, as I said I added a cup of each, cook 8-10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.  Add to slow cooker.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  I cooked it on high for about 4.  When meat is tender it's done

3.  Remove the ribs and vegetables, keep warm.  Transfer cooking juices to a small saucepan, skim the fat off.  Discard thyme and bay leaf.  Bring juices to a boil.  In a small bowl mix cornstarch and the cold water until smooth.  Stir the mixture into the cooking juices.  Return to a boil, cook and stir for about 1-2 minutes or until it thickens.

I served the meat, veggies and sauce over mashed potatoes and it was so rich and good.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

 This recipe was originally published as Slow Cooker Short Ribs in Taste of Home February/ March 2014.