Tamarind-Braised Beef Brief Ribs

Come winter, there are few issues I discover extra comforting—or extra dependable—than a pot of beef brief ribs slowly braised within the oven. It is a type of cooking that rewards endurance in a really literal method: Time transforms powerful, sinewy meat into one thing spoon-tender, and a skinny, unassuming liquid right into a darkish, shiny, deeply flavored sauce. This recipe does simply that whereas constructing a braise that is daring, tangy, and warming, with tamarind at its core.

Tamarind is an ingredient I return to typically. Its taste—concurrently bitter, fruity, and calmly candy—is foundational in most of the South Asian dishes I grew up with, the place it is used to stability richness and add depth slightly than sharpness alone. Right here, it varieties the spine of a thick paste with honey, jaggery, chile, and salt that is rubbed straight onto the brief ribs. The combination seasons the meat deeply and units the stage for a layered, complicated sauce that is not too heavy.

After a quick marination, the ribs are browned rapidly to develop floor taste, then gently braised with onions, carrots, garlic, and herbs. This a part of the method is deliberately easy: no flour, no purées, no shortcuts. The aim is not a stew, however distinct items of beef that maintain their form, suspended in simply sufficient liquid to prepare dinner slowly and evenly till tender.

The actual payoff comes after the braise. As soon as the ribs are cooked, the braising liquid is strained and lowered, concentrating the tamarind’s darkish, rounded acidity. Because the liquid simmers, the gelatin launched from the bones provides the sauce physique and sheen, turning it right into a spoon-coating jus that adheres to the meat slightly than pooling round it. If you happen to’re utilizing store-bought inventory, including a small quantity of unflavored gelatin helps you keep that wealthy, restaurant-style texture.

The ribs are returned to the pot on the finish, warmed and glazed in their very own lowered juices till they’re lacquered and intensely savory. A ending squeeze of lime and a scattering of recent herbs brighten the dish, reducing by means of the richness and tying the flavors again to the tamarind’s pure tang. Serve it with mashed potatoes, polenta, roti, rice, or something that may absorb each final spoonful.