BRAISED BISON SHORT RIBS IN BBQ SAUCE

Before bison short ribs I had never even attempted to cook short ribs of any kind. I had only cooked pork back ribs that are super easy by just popping them at a low temp in the oven for a few hours then smothering in BBQ sauce. I wasn't exactly sure what I should do with bison short ribs until I found this recipe from Jennifer Bain's cook book "Buffalo girl cooks bison". There's a little more to it than just throwing them in the oven on low but I believe this recipe is still easy enough for any beginner cook! 

I'll give a detail description of the process and put a shorter version of the entire recipe near the bottom.

Ingredients list:

1/4 Canola oil

8 individual short ribs about the size pictured below (total of about 2-3 lbs)

3/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp onion salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2-1 cups red wine (optional)

5 cups water

 2 cups BBQ sauce (store bought or homemade, scroll down for homemade BBQ sauce recipe)

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 Tbsp liquid beef bouillon concentrate 

1 Tbsp liquid smoke

2 bay leaves

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Start by slicing your rack of short ribs into individual ribs like the ones pictured above. 

2. You'll need:

Oil

3/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp onion salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

Heat the oil on medium high in a heavy skillet, ideally cast iron. Meanwhile, combine the four types of salt and the pepper in a small bowl then season all sides of the ribs with this spice blend. Sear the ribs, starting with the meat side down, in the hot oil for about 5 minutes then flip and sear on the bone side for another 5 minutes. You may have to do this in a few batches as to not crowd the ribs. 

Once the ribs have been seared on both sides you can add them, meat side down, to a roasting pan. It's preferable to use one with a lid but if that's not an option you can always cover with tin foil. 

 

4. You'll need:

1/2-1 cups red wine (optional)

4 cups water

 2 cups BBQ sauce (store bought or homemade, scroll down for homemade BBQ sauce recipe)

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 Tbsp liquid beef bouillon concentrate 

1 Tbsp liquid smoke

2 bay leaves

3/4 cup all purpose flour 

 

In a large mixing bowl combine the 5 cups water, BBQ sauce, tomato past, bouillon, liquid smoke, bay leaves and flour. Whisk well to make sure all ingredients are well combined. Pour over the ribs making sure they are well covered with the sauce. Cover with a lid or foil and cook until very tender, about 3.5-4 hours. 

6. Your sauce should be thick enough but if you'd like it a tad thicker you can transfer the liquid to a large pot and bring to a boil on the stove. This should activate the flour a bit more causing it to be thicker. You can further thicken the sauce by boiling it down for 10 minutes or until desired thickness is reached. 

7. Return the ribs to the sauce. Serve over rice (or mashed potatoes) and enjoy!

---

   

Braised Bison Short Ribs in BBQ sauce

Ingredients list:

1/4 Canola oil

8 individual short ribs about the size pictured below (total of about 2-3 lbs)

3/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp onion salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2-1 cups red wine (optional)

4 cups water

 2 cups BBQ sauce (store bought or homemade, scroll down for homemade BBQ sauce recipe)

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 Tbsp liquid beef bouillon concentrate 

1 Tbsp liquid smoke

2 bay leaves

3/4 cup all purpose flour

  

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Pour oil into a cast iron skillet(or other heavy skillet) and turn on to medium high heat. Make spice rub with the four types of salt and the ground pepper. Rub all over ribs and sear, starting with meat side down, for 5 minutes. Flip and repeat on bone side. Sear in batches as to prevent crowding of the ribs. Once searing is complete transfer to a large roasting pan, meat side down. 

 

In a large mixing bowl combine the 4 cups water, BBQ sauce, tomato past, bouillon, liquid smoke, bay leaves and flour. Whisk well to make sure all ingredients are well combined. Pour over the ribs making sure they are well covered with the sauce. Cover with a lid or foil and cook until very tender, about 3.5-4 hours. 

 

(Optional) Once ribs are tender, transfer to a plate and let cool for about 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Gently pull off and discard the fatty tissue from the top layer of each rib. {I didn't do this step and no one complained;)}

 

Your sauce should be thick enough but if you'd like it a tad thicker you can transfer the liquid to a large pot and bring to a boil on the stove. This should activate the flour a bit more causing it to be thicker. You can further thicken the sauce by boiling it down for 10 minutes or until desired thickness is reached. 

 

Return the ribs to the sauce. Serve over rice (or mashed potatoes) and enjoy!

---

Barbecue sauce is something you can easy make at home. I've added my favorite (and VERY quick) homemade barbecue sauce recipe for you to enjoy. 

Quick Barbecue Sauce (Yield about 2 cups)

1 1/4 cup Ketchup

1/3 cup bison bone broth

3 Tbsp prepared mustard

3 Tbsp apple jelly (alternative: peach jam, apple sauce or plum sauce)

1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

 

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk. Add pepper to taste. Let simmer for 5-20 minutes until desired thickness is reached. Will keep for 10 days in airtight container in the fridge.