Asian-Style Braised Short Ribs

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Serves 2

Cooking Time 8 to 9 hours on Low or 5 to 6 hours on High

Slow Cooker Size 3½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a boldly flavored, ultrasatisfying dinner for two, we slow-cooked short ribs until meltingly tender in an Asian-style sauce that tasted sweet, spicy, and savory all at once. The well-marbled ribs cooked down significantly, so to compensate we started with over a pound of ribs for two diners. The duo of hoisin sauce and chili-garlic sauce provided an intensely flavored sauce with a nice sweetness and subtle heat, and a small pour of chicken broth worked to thin the mixture slightly. To ensure an ultraclingy sauce by the end of the cooking time, we stirred in 2 teaspoons of tapioca. Thinly sliced scallion whites gave the sauce an aromatic presence. Once the ribs were tender, we defatted the sauce, then stirred the ribs back in and sprinkled the finished dish with scallion greens for freshness and a burst of color. Look for boneless short ribs that are well marbled and measure about 2 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Serve over egg noodles or rice. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

½	cup chicken broth
⅓	cup hoisin sauce
3	scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin
1	tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
2	teaspoons instant tapioca
2	(10-ounce) boneless beef short ribs
	Salt and pepper

1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Combine broth, hoisin, scallion whites, chili-garlic sauce, and tapioca in prepared slow cooker. Trim fat from top and bottom of short ribs, season with salt and pepper, and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 8 to 9 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high.

2. Transfer short ribs to serving dish, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of sauce. Pour sauce over short ribs and sprinkle with scallion greens. Serve.