Korean Braised Short Ribs

FOOD AS MEDICINE

We love grassfed beef for its anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids as well as CLAs to support metabolism. These short ribs came from our friends at Yonder Way Farm here in Texas and they were AMAZING braised in the Instant Pot along with pungent Korean flavors. Finding and supporting your local farmers and ranchers is such an important step in your journey to optimal health and to voting with your dollar to support small scale, humane and sustainable farming practices. If you don’t have access to a local farm or are unsure where to start, Crowd Cow is a great company that allows you to find and select local farms along with your preference of grassfed, grass-finished or grain-finished and choose your cuts from the top farms in the US. Tougher cuts of meat like short ribs, chuck roast and brisket contain higher amounts of certain amino acids like glycine that are often deficient if only eating ground meat and chicken breast! This recipe can be made in an instant pot, slow cooker or in a dutch oven depending on what you have in your kitchen arsenal. We added onions, garlic and cilantro (both stems and leaves) to support detox processes in the body. Serve with kimchi (fermented cabbage) as lettuce wraps or over cauliflower rice!

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds grassfed short ribs

salt & pepper

1 Tbsp avocado oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 bunch green onions, chopped, green and white parts separated

1 inch ginger, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped, stems and leaves separated

1/4 cup sake (rice wine, optional, may sub bone broth if desired)

1/4 cup coconut aminos

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp gochujang (korean red pepper paste, ensure gluten free!)

1 Tbsp fish sauce

For serving: kimichi, sliced cucumber, lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS

For the slow cooker:

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs on all sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add the avocado oil. Once hot, add the short ribs and sear on each side until browned.

Once seared, place in slow cooker. Add the onions, green onion (white parts only), garlic and cilantro stems to the same cast iron pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Remove from the pan and add into slow cooker. Add the sake or bone broth if using, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, gojuchang and fish sauce into the cast iron and turn to low. Whisk to combine until no lumps remain, then heat until just simmering.

Transfer this mixture into the slow cooker and cook on low about 6 hours until meat is fall-off-the-bone tender! Serve with lettuce wraps, kimchi and cucumber slices.

For the Instant Pot:

Use the sautee setting to brown the short ribs, adding the onions, garlic and cilantro stems once browned on all sides. Allow to cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, whisk together all the sauce ingredients. Add to the Instant Pot and seal. Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. Allow to depressurize naturally.