A few years ago I stumbled upon this amazing recipe in a Fine Cooking Magazine. I was searching for a fun and creative way to use fresh herbs from my garden while using unique flavour combinations. This recipe calls for loads of fresh basil, Thai chilis, and lime jelly among other things. Those flavours drew my curious mind to new heights and I was on a quest to give this new dish a try. I am so glad I did! It has become one of my families favourite meals and we make it all the time!
The most complicated part of this recipe combination is the lime jelly because frankly, it is a specialty item. I ended up locating it at Walmart of all places. Turns out it is British in origin and can be found in the import isle. Who knew! Thank heavens I was looking for a Cadbury Flake bar or I would have never found this stuff!
Now it must seem like flavours this unique would cause this dish be hard to make. That is definitely not the case due to the use of your trusted Slow Cooker. Because you can have these ribs cooking all day, your time is free to work, play, and relax.
Feel free to serve this dish on a nice bed of wild rice or creamy whipped potatoes for a comforting meal while sipping on a fantastic glass of Cab Sav.
Spicy Lime Basil Beef Short Ribs
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Ingredients
- 1 Tbs. peanut oil
- 3 lbs of small bone in beef short ribs
- 1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
- 5 small fresh red Thai chiles (remove stems, cut in half, and remove seeds)
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 Tbs thinly sliced and peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup lime marmalade
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 Tbs white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbs freshly chopped garden basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- The first step in preparing this dish is that same as any other dish your cooking, measure out your ingredients and set aside.
- Prepare your slow cooker and gather a medium sized pan, small sauce pot, tongs, and a wooden spoon.
- To keep these ribs juicy and tender, you need to sear them on all sides. To do this, add the peanut oil to your pan and turn the heat up to medium high. Add your ribs in batches and sear each side for two minutes. Transfer to a plate when done.
- Using the same pan and the juices in it, add the diced onion. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the onion begins to soften and become translucent. Add the ingredients from chiles, to nutmeg. Stir and mix for around a minute. The fragrance should be very strong.
- Add the lime marmalade and stir until is has become liquid. Place this mixture into the slow cooker.
- Add the soy sauce and chicken stock to the slow cooker and mix. Place the Ribs on top spooning a bit of the mixture on top.
- Cook on low for 9 hours.
- When ribs are cooked, remove from the slow cooker and set aside.
- Take the lime sauce and strain it through a fat separator into your small sauce pot. Add the vinegar and boil on medium high until the sauce has reduced by half. This normally takes about 10 minutes.
- Add the basil, cook for 2 more minutes then pour over the ribs. Grind some salt and pepper over the ribs, garnish with some more basil and serve.
Notes
Tip: Do steps one through to six the night before. Then before you leave, pop the insert into your cooker, turn it on and voila. Your are ready to go.
