November 9, 2015

slow cooker short ribs with Parmesan polenta

I had some short ribs in the freezer that needed to be used but I had never made short ribs before and didn't have a lot of time. Enter: slow cooker. This is such an easy meal! It probably only took about 30 minutes of active cooking time. My kids were gah-gah for it. David worked late that night so we ate without him, and I had to hide a plate for him because they kept asking for more. #dinnerwin

If you are like I was, a little nervous about cooking short ribs, don't be. They're sooooo delicious and really easy to make. I also think that short ribs are less messy than lots of other meats out there. You can serve them with mashed potatoes, roasted veggies or this creamy Parmesan polenta. It's a great accompaniment to the short ribs! Definitely make these. The brown sugar in the sauce perfectly caramelizes the edges of the short ribs and the red wine vinegar brings this really amazing bite. I want more now...
SHORT RIBS
adapted from here

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
1/4 cup (half stick) butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup beef broth
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add butter to melt. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Add ribs and shake to coat with flour. Once the butter is melted and starting to bubble, add short ribs and let brown each side, turning after a few minutes on each side with tongs. Place short ribs in a slow cooker.

In the same skillet, add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, scraping all the drippings together. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over short ribs. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours. Carefully flip the short ribs over about half way through.

CREAMY PARMESAN POLENTA

4 1/2 cups water
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce heat to medium and slowly pour cornmeal into the boiling water, while whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Reduce heat to simmer and let cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Stir in salt, pepper and Parmesan and serve with short ribs and sauce on top.

2 comments:

  1. Looks so good! Thanks for sharing. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks amazing! I will definitely have to make this! Thanks Liz!

    ReplyDelete

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