Sous-Vide Oven Short ribs with Crunchy baked Potatoes

I was first introduced to the short ribs cut when I was travelling in South America — it's an extremely popular cut in Argentina and Brazil, barbecue style.

Where do short ribs come from?

Short ribs come from a wide variety of parts of the cow, being a long-stretched meat-fat mixture. They start high in the rib cage close to the chuck area (2nd through 5th rib), moving down to the brisket and plate area. As you move down the ribs, the fat-to-muscle ratio changes.

Cut Variations in Short Ribs

There are two major ways butchers handle short ribs: the "flanken" cut and the "English" cut. The flanken piece is cut lengthwise, leaving a small bone with meat on it. It's a much thinner cut and usually used for barbecues — this style is very popular in Korean barbecue. On a single steak you'll find at least 2 small bones connected by a muscle. The English cut is prepared by cutting between each rib (or a few ribs), leaving each cut with a layer of meat and fat with a bone between them (sometimes the bone can stick out if the butcher cleans it, or it can be boneless). This is the most popular way to cut short ribs, and the one I'll use in this recipe. Short ribs in the English cut are cooked "low and long" style, meaning that to soften the meat and break the collagen bonds inside, we need a steady, long heat. This is usually achieved by hanging these cuts high above the barbecue or campfire. At home, the best method is definitely sous-vide — we get the short ribs exactly to the point we want, meaning the collagen breaks because of the low heat and the fat stays intact. Finishing this cut in the oven is great because it lets the top fat cover melt, and we're essentially cooking the short ribs in their own fat — so it's extra tasty. A half-empty baking pan always makes me sad, so I added some roasted potatoes to go with the meat — a wonderful side dish to accompany the ribs. Enjoy!