Short Ribs in a Slow Cooker

By Lori Powell

On Sundays, I like to roast a chicken, brisket or something that cooks for at least a couple of hours in the oven, perfuming the whole house. I make many a meal during the week from the leftovers.

One of my favorite appliances for the weekend is a slow cooker. It’s great for cheaper cuts of meat that require slow and low cooking.

So while at the green market on Saturday morning I stopped at Fleisher’s meat market and picked up four pieces of short ribs. Short ribs are sublime and result in meltingly tender nuggets of meat, due to all of the layers of fat. And then there is the added flavor from the bone.

Another benefit of short ribs is that you can purchase small quantities, perfect for singles like me. Given that the meat is soo rich, a little goes a long way.

I like to make them at least one day ahead to chill overnight. That way, I can skim most of the fat from the juices since the fat solidifies. It’s just a bit healthier.

Below is my recipe for short ribs cooked in a slow cooker. A couple of suggestions for the following nights’ meals would be to shred the meat to make short rib sliders and drizzle with some of the juices, or add the meat in a ragu for pasta.

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Slow Cooker Short Ribs
Serves 2

1 ½ cups low sodium beef broth
¼ cup tamari sauce
2 tablespoons honey
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
3 carrots, sliced
4 smashed garlic cloves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3 pounds short ribs (about 5)
4 ounces wide egg noodles

Stir together all ingredients except the short ribs and noodles in a lightly oiled slow cooker and nestle ribs in the liquid. Cover and cook on low, until fork tender, about 7 hours.

Chill mixture, uncovered, overnight. The next day, skim fat from juices and discard. Reheat the short ribs, covered, on low until warmed through, about 1 hour.

Cook egg noodles following package directions. Toss with butter and serve short ribs over noodles with juices.

Tip: If you can’t wait to eat your short ribs, ladle out all the liquid into a gravy fat separator. Pour back the good juices into a saucepan and reheat; discard the fat.

Or, gently skim about an inch of the liquid off the top, where the fat is concentrated. Chill the liquid in a shallow pan in the refrigerator for an hour or two. When the fat hardens, remove it and discard. Return any juices back to the short ribs to reheat.

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