BONELESS SHORT RIBS

Ingredients

• 6 boneless short ribs (4 lb.)
• 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 2 teaspoons of any other salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Cut the short ribs in half as shown in the photo above and arrange them in a lightly greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Season them with salt and pepper.
2. In a small jar, add the vinegar, hot pepper sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and thyme. Whisk or shake well to combine. Pour the sauce over the ribs and use your hands to toss and coat all the pieces.
3. Cover the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake the ribs until cooked through and tender, 2.5 hours.
4. Remove the foil (carefully – hot steam will escape). Baste the tops of the short ribs with the braising liquid, and continue baking them for 30 more minutes, allowing the tops to brown.
5. Serve with the braising liquid. I like to place a small bowl filled with the braising liquid on each plate. This allows the diners to dip their meat into the yummy liquid.

Optional step: thickening the cooking liquids

1. When the ribs are fully cooked, you can transfer them to an oven-safe dish and cover them. Lower the oven to the “keep warm” setting and place the ribs in the oven.
2. Pour the cooking liquids through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium saucepan and heat them over medium-high heat, whisking often, until they thicken, 5-10 minutes.
3. You can speed this process up by mixing in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1.5 tablespoons cold water). Heat, whisking, over medium heat. Remove from heat as soon as the sauce thickens.