Taking photos of some of my savory dishes is hard. I mean, this is just shredded beef short ribs, so not exactly the prettiest thing to take a picture of. But Oh-My-Goodness are they amazing. This is an America’s Test Kitchen recipe and it takes hours to make in a really low-and-slow braise, but it is sweet and savory and really yummy. Broccoli is options, but also pretty yummy. In fact, you could stick this in a burger bun and make a really fine shredded beef sandwich, Asian-style. Note: This is pretty much a verbatim recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. Have to give props where props are due.
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons molasses
3 scallions, white and green parts separated, green parts sliced thin on bias
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled, halved lengthwise, and crushed
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 4-inch lengths
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups (about 1/2 head) broccoli, cut to 2 inch pieces
Directions
Sprinkle gelatin over 2 1/2 cups water in Dutch oven and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300F
Heat softened gelatin over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in sherry, soy sauce, hoisin, molasses, scallion whites, ginger, garlic, five-spice powder, and pepper flakes. Stir in beef and bring to simmer. Remove pot from heat. Cover tightly with sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, then lid. Transfer to oven and cook until beef is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring halfway through cooking.
Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to cutting board. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator. Wipe out pot with paper towels. Let liquid settle for 5 minutes, then return defatted liquid to now-empty pot. Cook liquid over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 1 cup, 20 to 25 minutes.
While sauce reduces, using 2 forks, break beef into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Steam broccoli until slightly tender but still firm. Whisk cornstarch and remaining 1 tablespoon water together in small bowl.
Reduce heat to medium-low, whisk cornstarch mixture into reduced sauce, and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Return beef to sauce and stir to coat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is heated through, about 5 minutes. Add in the broccoli. Sprinkle scallion greens over top. Serve with rice.
