Shoyu Braised Shorties

The first thing to do is brown the short ribs.

Lay out a cookie sheet with some flour on it and rub the meat down. If it's easier you can cut the meat into smaller pieces (maybe 2-3 pieces). In a heavy bottomed pot, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Brown both sides of the meat, 3-5 minuets each. Kill the heat, pull the meat out and set it aside.

Heat your oven to 30

Take the same heavy bottomed pot used for the meat and add a bit more olive oil so the bottom is covered again.

Add the ginger, garlic, onions, carrots and celery and cook over a medium high heat until they begin to get nice and brown (10-15 minuets). Make sure and work the veggies around with a wooden spoon to keep them from burning (browning is okay though).

Add the green onions and cook for another 4-5 minuets.

Add the mirin and stir all the browned veggies around, trying to scrape the stuff off of the bottom.

Turn the heat off and put the beef back in the pot.

Add the Sambal Oelek, lemon grass, shoyu, miso paste, honey, lime juice and rice wine vinegar. Make sure it's fairly combined (mixing the stuff up before adding it helps). Now break out your veal stock (or boxes of beef broth) and add enough to cover the piece(s) of meat completely. Now add your cilantro, five spice and black pepper.

Now the easy part. Cover the pot with foil, or if you have a nifty top, put that on. Slide the sucker in the oven and set your timer for 4 hours.

At the four hour mark turn off the oven and pull it out. After a quick cool down carefully remove the short ribs with a slotted spoon (they tend to fall apart when they're warm, so if you can let them cool down a bit they are much easier to handle) and set it aside. Strain out all the liquid and save it for the sauce.

For the sauce, heat up some of the reserved liquid and let it cook down to an slightly thick sauce. If it cooks down too much it will just be salty and lame, so make sure and taste it as it cooks. Reheat the ribs in the sauce and then serve the in a big bowl with the sauce all over or on the side.