Sous-Vide-Que Short-Ribs Asian Style
I've made Short-Ribs many times before, and the plethora of Times and Temps tested would make you smirk. This will be my third installment on Short-Ribs. Why a third post? Because like everything, I only post when something knocks my socks off, or I find it interesting. I chose this time, temp, and the BBQ/Grill temp for a specific outcome.
The desired outcome was to have a steak-like texture likened to a Ribeye cooked to perfection. Sous-Vide Processing, the Ribs at 158f for 18-Hours, produced everything I wanted. The connective tissue & Collagen rendered just enough, and the gelatin made them scrumptious. The harder Intermuscular fat softened up quite nice, and the grill took care of the rest. The intramuscular fat was perfect. The lovely color, aka doneness, was spot on too. I prefer pink meat and wanted to stay away from the traditional color associated with Short Ribs, which are typically cooked well over 186f. Trying to find a middle ground (Personal Expectations) in which you achieve the desired doneness (color), Texture and fat rendering takes trial and error. 
Not all is lost if the SV-Processed protein and the results are less than perfect. The proper finish can save the day. How you choose to finish can be just as crucial as the SV-Method IMO. Saving a poorly processed protein can be salvaged sometimes with a great finish provided you can tweak accordingly.
I'll attempt to describe the texture or rather my perception of what I was able to do with this method (Time, Temp & Finish). Telling you the Ribs were tender and came out perfect means nothing. All food, taste, and texture is a matter of opinion. Let me attempt to answer. The texture was likened to a nicely cooked NY Strip with a little chew, the fat of a Ribeye, and nothing, like a fillet. If you would like it a little more tender, I would suggest another 4-6 hours, which would be 158f at 22-26-Hours.
To bring out the beefiness and taste of these tasty ribs, it required a dry-brine. I am a big fan of Faux-, Aging with either Fish-Salt or Fish Sauce. Penetrating the protein is the matrix is how we bring out all the flavors. Caveat-If you practice Sakana use 0.60% Kosher Salt. I always work in percentages relative to the weight of the protein, but these bones can pose an issue with our calculations. If you choose salt, only I would suggest 0.45% and Fish-Salt at 0.75%. Let's discuss math. If the Rib weighs 500 grams you would multiply for Fish-Salt at 0.75% (500 X 0.75% (0.0075) = 3.75 grams.
After applying the Dry-Brine Vac-Seal. Yes, I used weights. For long cooks, I sometimes use weights and double bags too. The first bag contains ribs only, and the second bag has the weights. Time to Dry-Brine... for Salt only (and whatever else) you need a minimum of 24-hours, and for Fish-Salt, it requires 72-hours for the glutamates to penetrate.
Process the Ribs at 158f for 18-Hours. After processing, you need to decide if you will eat right away or finish at a later time.
For me and our lifestyle, I like to process large amounts of protein for later use. These Ribs were processed with no clue as to how I was going to finish them. I knew what I wanted to achieve with the bath but had no plan for the finish or final outcome.
After the bath, I used a Step-Down-Cooling (Created by CREA) process that gives the protein a better texture and preserves some of the moisture. Take protein out of the bath and set on the counter for about 15-Minutes (flip over several times). At this point, you need to decide what's next. If you want to drop the temp down further to finish, use Cold-Tap-Water for about 10-15 minutes. To store in the refrigerator to be used at a later date dunk in Cold-Tap-Water for 10-15 minutes, then Ice-Shock with lots of Ice. I use an aquarium pump to circulate water, which improves temp drop by 25-28%.
To bring out the beefiness and taste of these tasty ribs, it required a dry-brine. I am a big fan of Faux-, Aging with either Fish-Salt or Fish Sauce. Penetrating the protein is the matrix is how we bring out all the flavors. Caveat-If you practice Sakana use 0.60% Kosher Salt. I always work in percentages relative to the weight of the protein, but these bones can pose an issue with our calculations. If you choose salt, only I would suggest 0.45% and Fish-Salt at 0.75%. Let's discuss math. If the Rib weighs 500 grams you would multiply for Fish-Salt at 0.75% (500 X 0.75% (0.0075) = 3.75 grams.
After applying the Dry-Brine Vac-Seal. Yes, I used weights. For long cooks, I sometimes use weights and double bags too. The first bag contains ribs only, and the second bag has the weights. Time to Dry-Brine... for Salt only (and whatever else) you need a minimum of 24-hours, and for Fish-Salt, it requires 72-hours for the glutamates to penetrate.
Process the Ribs at 158f for 18-Hours. After processing, you need to decide if you will eat right away or finish at a later time.
For me and our lifestyle, I like to process large amounts of protein for later use. These Ribs were processed with no clue as to how I was going to finish them. I knew what I wanted to achieve with the bath but had no plan for the finish or final outcome.
After the bath, I used a Step-Down-Cooling (Created by CREA) process that gives the protein a better texture and preserves some of the moisture. Take protein out of the bath and set on the counter for about 15-Minutes (flip over several times). At this point, you need to decide what's next. If you want to drop the temp down further to finish, use Cold-Tap-Water for about 10-15 minutes. To store in the refrigerator to be used at a later date dunk in Cold-Tap-Water for 10-15 minutes, then Ice-Shock with lots of Ice. I use an aquarium pump to circulate water, which improves temp drop by 25-28%.
My Asian-Sauce is nothing more than a Hodgepodge of my favorite ingredients. I used Gochujang, Soy-Sauce, Sesame Seed Oil, Ketchup, Brown-Sugar, White Sugar, Hoisin Sauce, Garlic, Rice-Wine Vinegar, and Sweet Chili Sauce. Add this and that until you get what you want.
Like I said earlier, I make large amounts of protein for later use. I rethermed these ribs at 134f for a couple of hours before proceeding. I used my Weber Kettle to finish the ribs by first preheating to about 350℉. I slathered up the ribs and Grilled/BBQ indirectly for about an hour until the outside achieves the color I wanted, and the internal temp ranged from 167-170℉. Someone asked me the other day why I did not retherm with the charcoal up to the desired temperature. That was a great question. On most cooks, that's exactly what I would have done, but these Ribs were going to be different. Retherming on the Weber would have taken much longer, and I would have needed to go Low and Slow, which means more smoke flavor.
Retheming with the SV and finishing with the Weber gave the Ribs just a kiss of smoke and my desired coloring and appropriate fat rendering.
Plating and some of the side dishes- Broccoli and Carrots blanched, then sauteed in peanut oil, garlic, onions, green onions, some cilantro, a splash of sesame seed oil, soy, and fish sauce. Right at the end, I tossed in some Spicy Raddish Kimchi and topped with Black Sesame seeds. The Rice was jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock and some unsweetened coconut milk.
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