Black Garlic Beef Short Ribs

This delicious dish has two of my favourite ingredients - beef short ribs and black garlic. It’s a dish that when done right, falls off the bone and melts in your mouth, and a dish that promises to deliver both comfort and flavour. The rich, caramel and molasses flavours of black garlic pair perfectly with the deep beef flavour of short ribs. Enjoy them over some rice, with root vegetables or simply with a glass of robust red wine. You can take the meat off the bone for easy eating, or leave on for the beautiful presentation.
Black garlic is what truly sets this short rib casserole apart. It’s regular garlic that has been aged and fermented, resulting in a softer, molasses-like texture with a sweet and tangy flavour devoid of the usual garlic pungency. It is not just a flavour enhancer but also a powerhouse of antioxidants. It is everything you love about garlic but even better.


2-2.5 kg Bone-in beef short ribs Sea salt 15-20 Black garlic cloves 50 g Coconut sugar (or dark brown sugar) Tallow, for searing 80 ml Gluten-free, salt-reduced soya sauce 100 ml Rice wine vinegar 1-2 tbsp Sambal oelek (or sriracha) 1l Homemade beef stock Chopped cilantro, for garnish Grated zest of 1 lemon, for finishing Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Remove the short ribs from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Season all sides with sea salt. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F.
Mash the black garlic with 1 tablespoon of the coconut sugar in a bowl with the back of a spoon.
In a large casserole or heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, heat l tablespoon tallow and sear on all sides of short ribs until browned and caramelized, then transfer to a plate. Add more tallow as needed to sear all the ribs. When finished, carefully pour off most of the oil, leaving a tablespoon in the the pan.
Add the black garlic paste, soya sauce, rice wine vinegar, remaining coconut sugar, sambal oelek, and beef stock. Bring to a boil, then return the beef ribs to the cooking liquid. Cover and place in the oven to roast for 3 hours, or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.
Uncover and increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F. Roast, uncovered, for another 20-30 minutes, until the liquid has reduced a bit, the meat is super tender, and everything is a deep, burnished, lovely dark golden brown.
To serve, garnish with the chopped cilantro, finish with lemon zest and flaky sea salt, and enjoy!