Redonkulous Short Ribs

Short ribs are an economy cut of beef and tend to be not terribly...well, meaty. Here's my take on a traditional Southern recipe, adapted for the crock pot, that stretches the meat with an amazingly flavorful gravy to serve with rice.

1 rack (approx. 8 bones) beef short ribs
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups V-8 or similar tomato-vegetable juice blend, such as Knudsen's Very Veggie
1  cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce, tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 to 1/2 cup of unbleached white flour

1 cup long grain brown rice
2 cups water
2 tbsp. butter or Smart Balance (optional)

Season ribs with rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Sear in olive oil over medium heat in a heavy frying pan until thoroughly browned on all sides. Remove the ribs from the pan and save the pan drippings- you can do this by just covering the pan and leaving it on the stove or sticking it in the fridge. Line the bottom of a crock pot with sliced onion and lay browned ribs on top. Pour the juice blend and water into the bottom of the pot and sprinkle the soy sauce over the ribs. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.

40 minutes or so before you want to serve, prepare the rice, reserving the butter or Smart Balance. Reheat the pan from earlier and make a roux with an approximately equal ratio of  flour to the amount of drippings in the pan. Transfer the ribs from the crock pot onto a plate and whisk the liquid from the crock pot into the roux, thinning the resulting gravy with water or stock if necessary. Taste to correct seasoning and throw the whole mess back in the crock pot to simmer while the rice cooks.

Just prior to serving, stir the butter into the rice, spoon the excess fat off the gravy in the crock pot and give it a good stir. Serve the ribs and gravy over the rice.

This dish pairs well with dark leafy greens like chard and kale. I serve it alongside chard sauteed in a little oil with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt, then season the greens with a little raw apple cider vinegar at the table.

Anthony Hamilton- Sista Big Bones