I was recently challenged (online) to make something totally unique and “probably” not in any cookbook somewhere. I always enjoy a good challenge especially when it comes to cooking. I started with some beef ribs since most of the people on this planet love them.
I just bought some oranges from the farmers market in Brooklyn and stared at them long and hard when I had an idea. I not only wanted to make these ribs zesty, I wanted some serious orange flavors here. I started looking around the kitchen for ways to pump the flavor of orange up. My eyes dropped on the bottle of Contreau. That was it. That’s exactly what I needed to make this sucker “pop”! Now here is the recipe for one and all. Put on your favorite song of the moment. Go shopping somewhere good. Enjoy the process.
PREP: Make the sauce at least few hours beforehand or store overnight.
- 10 long beef ribs (separated)
- 3 TBL (packed) fine orange peel zest
- 3 TBL of Contreau
- 1/2 cup Tamari gluten free, low sodium soy sauce
- Juice of 1 orange
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 TBL (packed) ginger zest
- 2 TSP (packed) shredded or minced Birds-eye (พริกขี้หนู) Thai chili
- 1/4 TSP (packed) Szechuan powder
Ok, it’s about to get real.
- Mix all ingredients, parlay, dance, shuffle and return to mixing. Put in one or two more chilies if you like it hotz!
- Put the marinade in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours or even a day. We want all those nice flavors to come together.
- After 3 hours add the marinade to the beef ribs. Let them sit in that fine juice for 30 minutes on each side.
- Turn your slow cooker on low or start the oven (225 degrees F) with the Dutch oven inside. Let those things get hot for the next hour while you are marinating the beef ribs.
Put the ribs in the slow cooker. Do not add the liquid. Reserve it for later when you create a glaze. Wait 5 hours (perhaps 3-4 with the Dutch oven) and then rejoice. Once done I remove the ribs from the fats on a tray and let cool for a couple minutes. While they are cooling heat up the reserved liquid on medium for a couple minutes. Get it nice and syrupy. Toss the ribs in for 10 seconds and barely coat. Serve immediately with brown rice. Goes really well with my homemade ginger ale.
Your final product should be beefy with some zing, some tang, and some tingle. I don’t like seasonings so strong that it mutes the flavor of the beef. My method is aimed at flavor.