I just had what must have been the easiest recipe in the world. As a result, I’m on the computer blogging about it because this easy recipe freed up so much time that I can share it with you.
Back story: I ordered grass fed bison short ribs a couple of months back, but they stayed in my freezer for so long because, frankly, I was intimidated by them. I’d never made ribs or short ribs, and I had no idea where to begin. Well, that’s not true. I did know where to begin. 1) My Slow Cooker and 2) Google.
My new motto… when in doubt, slow cooker.
After coming across a short rib recipe by Nom Nom Paleo, I took what she did and made some tweaks. The result? Possibly the easiest meal ever. Short ribs (grass fed, of course) + Slow Cooker = Easy Peasy Delicious Nutritious.
Spiced Bison Short Ribs (Slow Cooker)
Yield 2 to 3 servings
- 2 to 3 pounds grass fed bison (or beef) short ribs
- Sea salt
- 2 leeks, sliced, white part only
- 1 orange, peeled, seeded, and quartered
- 13 to 15 grams fresh ginger (about 1 inch)
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoons umeboshi paste
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted homemade stock (grass fed beef or pastured chicken)*
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice
Briefly rinse the ribs, pat dry, and generously season with sea salt.
Place the leeks in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the short ribs on top of the leeks, with the goal of getting all of the short ribs to touch the bottom of the slow cooker (i.e., no layering). To facilitate this, I used my biggest slow cooker which is 8 quarts. You can turn them on their side to help, if you have a smaller slow cooker.
Blend the remaining ingredients and pour the sauce on top of the short ribs. Set your slow cooker to LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
During the cooking process (3 to 4 times), I opened the lid to the slow cooker and moved the short ribs around, turning them over, basting, etc.
This recipe is delicious when served on top of some smashed acorn squash, yams, or butternut squash. I cooked my acorn squash in my 7 quart slow cooker for 4 hours. Then, I scooped out the flesh and put it into a bowl. I added grass fed butter (not paleo), sea salt, and a few spoonfuls of the short rib sauce. I smashed it up with a potato masher, and served it under the Spiced Bison Short Ribs. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
* I always have homemade stock in my freezer so it’s easy for me to make recipes like this as a result. If I didn’t have it available, I’d probably just use water instead of using stock from the store. But, trust me, homemade stock is kick ass fun to make and tastes unbelievable. See my epic post where I share everything about making your own broth.