72-Hour Sous-Vide Short Ribs

Sous-vide cooking works its magic on a lot of foods, but short ribs yield some of the most dramatic results I've seen. In traditional recipes, the ribs (usually cut into short 2- to 3-inch chunks by the butcher) are braised for several hours. Although the braising method adds great flavor and makes the meat extremely tender, the meat is also necessarily well-done. But, thanks to our sous-vide wizardry, we're able to maintain a perfectly pink medium-rare and have our meat come out fork-tender. After tasting these short ribs, I may never cook any type of ribs the same way again. This summer, I plan to lightly smoke a rack of spare ribs, then cook them sous-vide for a few days before finishing them back on the grill. I expect pretty incredible results.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 mins
• Total Time: 18 mins
• Calories: 940 Calories

Ingredients

• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 pounds beef short ribs
• 2 tablespoons smoked salt

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat water in a sous-vide water bath to 133 degrees F (56 degrees C).

Step 2

Trim any areas of fat left on short ribs; coat thoroughly with garlic and salt. Place ribs into a large, sealable plastic bag. Seal, on low pressure if using a vacuum sealer, removing as much air as possible.

Step 3

Submerge bag fully in the water bath and cook, rotating every 12 to 18 hours, for 60 hours. Increase heat to 144.5 degrees F (62.5 degrees C) and cook an additional 12 hours.

Step 4

Remove ribs from water bath; let rest in bag on cooling rack placed over baking sheet until cool enough to handle.

Step 5

Remove ribs from bag and drain. Turn ribs bone-side up on a work surface and slice meat between bones lengthwise to separate ribs. Cut membrane running along the length of the rib; slide bone loose from the meat. Trim any excess fat and cut into serving portions.

Step 6

Pat ribs dry with paper towels; return to cooling rack-lined baking sheet. Heat a skillet until smoking hot; brown ribs quickly, 30 seconds to 1 minute per side.