Sweet baby Grace’s ribs

Woolworths is committed to sustainability via our good business journey. Seasonal (and other) products might not always be in stock.

“Whenever I ask what I can bring to a braai, the answer is always these sticky shortribs – and wet wipes! What makes this dish super-special is that it was what we ate to celebrate my baby niece coming home from hospital, and it was the dish I prepared when we recently celebrated her first birthday. It’s officially been named ‘sweet baby Grace’s ribs’.”

Ingredients

1.5 kg Woolworths cubed beef shortribs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 bay leaves
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, peeled and quartered
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup Woolworths smokey BBQ braai marinade
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
90 g sachet Woolworths pickled red onion petals
Woolworths frozen battered onion rings, cooked according to package instructions, for serving
lime, for serving
fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to garnish

Cooking Instructions

1. Season the shortrib with salt and pepper and allow to rest for 1 hour before cooking.

2. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat, place the meat in the pan fat-side down, and allow some of the fat to render as you brown the meat until well charred. Do this in batches to prevent the meat from steaming as it browns.

3. Place the browned shortrib in a large roasting dish with the bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Pour some water into the pan that was used to brown the meat and bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then scrape all the charred bits into the roasting dish. Add just enough water to the roasting dish to cover the shortrib, cover with a lid or foil, and place in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 180°C, and allow the oven to heat up gradually with the roasting dish inside it, then cook the beef for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until the meat comes off the bone easily.

4. Remove the meat from the dish and strain the liquid into the heavy-based frying pan placed over a high heat and reduce the liquid by half. Add the vinegar and BBQ marinade, and continue reducing. When reduced by half again, check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

5. Set a braai grid over medium coals, and place the shortrib on the grid, slowly heating it up as it renders more fat and turns extra smoky. Once the ends become charred, baste the meat in the reduced sauce until sweet and sticky. Reserve some sauce for serving.

6. Serve the sweet, smoky ribs with the pickled red onion, battered onion rings, a squeeze of fresh lime and coriander.

Photograph: Jan Ras
Production: Emma Nkunzana
Recipes:Clement Pedro

Find more braai recipes here.