Beef short ribs are one of my favorite ingredients to use, developing deep, luxurious flavor when braised.  The biggest challenge in using them has always been trying to give them a refined presentation.  Rather than using a traditional braise, this time we tried cooking them sous vide to give them a more uniform appearance.

The interesting thing about preparing this product sous vide is that you can use such a low temperature that the ribs will still have a great pink color despite the cook time.   These ribs cooked for 36 hours at a temperature of 132 degrees Fahrenheit.  The next time I prepare this, I will definitely cook the ribs at a higher temperature, probably around 137 degrees Fahrenheit.  While the flavor was great this time, the temperature was so low that the connective tissue didn’t fully break down and the texture was inconsistent throughout the batch.

The full preparation took several days.  First, the ribs were seasoned liberally with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, rosemary and garlic powder.  They were then wrapped into a cylinder in plastic wrap, then cooked sous vide for 36 hours at 132 degrees Fahrenheit.  The ribs were then chilled in an ice bath before being cold smoked with hickory.  They were then portioned, seared, and placed back into a cryovac bag with veal stock.  On the day of the dinner, they went back into the water bath at 132 degrees for around eight hours, until time for plate up.