Devilishly Good Short Ribs

I am a carnivore. And, my children are carnivores. In fact, I come from a long line of carnivores. We like our meat and more importantly, we like our bones! There is something so satisfying about a big bone loaded with beef. It might be heavy, and not so good for you, but gosh, it feels right when the weather is cold and miserable. And, this winter, I'm starting to feel like we have cornered the market on cold and miserable. Anyway, back to the bones...

On Saturday, as I always do, I started to think about what I would make for our Sunday family dinner.  I wanted something we would all like, but with a twist.  I admit that I am bored of the usual meat and potato dinners.  I wanted something fresh and slightly fun. I am not sure how you (and your children) feel about ribs, but here we love them!  They are finger food extraordinaire!  We can't get enough — even my children would agree. So the idea of ribs started rolling around in my brain. But, given this winter weather, the pork version feels too delicate.  This weather demands the big guys: short ribs — lots of beef on a bone — cooked until tender. Mmmm...

Now, short ribs began calling my name, but what to do with them?  My son Harrison is not a fan of anything that resembles a stew, so traditional braising probably would not cut it as far as he was concerned.  With this as a perimeter, I started to think about all the bones I've had in my life and the different ways they were prepared.  One batch of bones stood out: When I was a child we had a favorite dish called Deviled Roast Beef and made with leftover roast beef and the rib bones. The slices of beef and the bones were coated in egg and corn flake crumbs, pan fried, and then served with a mustard based sauce. It was heaven. Could I create a variation using short ribs?

I got to work immediately. I bought my short ribs at my butcher shop, made a marinade up that mimicked the sauce from my youth and soaked those puppies overnight. I roasted the beef, let them cool a bit, basted them in the marinade and coated them in corn flake crumbs. I drizzled the pan drippings over the ribs and put it all back in the oven for another 20 minutes, and then plated dinner. Julia had eaten at a friend's house, but walked in just as I was putting dinner for the rest of us on the table. I don't know what she ate the first time, but my girl ponied right up to the table and chowed down on a huge short rib. She loved them; everyone did. 

Click here to see the Kid-Friendly, Devil Short Ribs recipe.