Black Bean Braised Country Style Ribs

The boneless Country Style Ribs you see at the supermarket are usually from the shoulder, cut in to strips. These are cheaper cuts and would typically be the tougher cuts of meat so low and slow would be the way to go. Just because it's cheaper doesn't  mean the quality goes out the window. These particular cuts have tons of flavor in them as compared to their easy to dry out counterparts. In my opinion, braising is a great cooking method because it is almost impossible to mess up and once it's on the stove, you can just walk away from it and do something else while it works it's magic. Whether it's a lazy Sunday or a hectic Monday, this recipe will fit right in the schedule just as long as you plan ahead.

Black Bean Braised Country Style Ribs

2 lbs Country style ribs

1 cup rough chopped carrots

1 cup rough chopped celery (or Chinese celery)

1 cup rough chopped yellow onions

5 cloves garlic smashed

1 large knuckle of ginger peeled and rough sliced

1 cup Chinese rice wine

1 1/2 tbsp whole fermented black beans (or the prepared jarred black bean sauce will suffice)

2 tbsp sized chunk of rock sugar (granulated sugar will do)

2 pieces star anise

1 bay leaf

3  pieces dried Shiitake mushroom

1 tsp sesame oil

salt and pepper 

(optional step)

2 tbsp thin sliced green onion

2 tbsp chopped parsley or Chinese celery tops

2 tbsp butter

2 cups Crimini mushroom quartered

what packaging for rock sugar, rice wine and black beans would looks like

Cut the meat in to 2 inch strips and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat up the pot or a Dutch oven with a about 4 tbps of oil and sear the meat on all sides. this helps seal in the juices and also adds flavor to your dish.

When the meat is done searing, drain some of the oil and with the fire on medium high, drop the ginger and garlic for about a minute then follow it with the carrots, celery and onions.

Once fragrant, about 2 minutes or so, deglaze the pot with the Chinese rice wine and with a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits left from searing the pork. 

Reduce by half then remove from the fire.

Now add the meat back in to the pot along with the black beans, star anise, dried Shiitake mushrooms, bay leaf and rock sugar then add water to cover the meat. 

Bring this to a boil then lower the fire to a low simmer.

Meat should be fork tender in about an hour and a half.

Essentially, at this point the dish is done and ready to eat, but why not turn it into a restaurant quality dish with just a few easy steps? 

Remove the meat from the pot and strain off the braising liquid. Skim off some of the fat on top then put the braising liquid back in to the pot and reduce it by half. Once reduced, add your mushrooms and stir for a minute then whisk in the cold butter to thicken the sauce. Remove from the fire and add the herbs. Arrange the meat in a bowl and drizzle the sauce over the top. Serve with rice or pasta.

This recipe would also work great in a slow cooker. Leave the carrots in larger sizes and add some whole creamer mushrooms and serve it with some hearty bread. 

Give the recipe a try and let us know how you like it!