Hoisin Glazed Shortribs

 

Okay, I have an immediate disclaimer to make here. These aren’t quite shortribs. But the word “chuck roast” just really doesn’t do this recipe justice, and I would hate to see the recipe looked over because of a name. Don’t judge a book by its cover, right?

The cut of beef used here is actually my favorite. Chuck roast is relatively inexpensive, and results in a very rich texture and flavor similar to shortribs. It’s often used for pot roasts (sometimes the cut is actually referred to as pot roast in stores) and almost exclusively braised given its toughness. The chuck is actually from the shoulder of the cow, right near its more expensive and popular neighbor, the short rib.

Hoisin Glazed Shortribs
Adapted from the NY Times
Serves 8

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 7 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced (I got a fresh puree that worked quite well)
• 1 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 pounds beef chuck roast
• chicken stock

Heat olive oil in a small saute pan over low to medium heat. Add in garlic and saute until browned. Place in small bowl and add in ginger, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, sriracha, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Mix well until thoroughly combined.

Lightly coat bottom of slow cooker with hoisin glaze, just enough to cover the bottom (this won’t be much of the glaze). Add in chuck roast, and lightly season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Cover and coat with half of the glaze. Set aside the rest of the glaze to be used later.

Pour in chicken stock until the stock is level with the highest part of the chuck roast. It shouldn’t be totally submerged, but there should be enough stock to mostly cover the roast. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.

After 4 hours, the chuck roast should be beginning to tenderize and shred a bit. Place chuck roast in dutch oven or a similarly large baking dish. Cover and cook in oven at 275 for 2 additional hours. Let cool slightly. At this point, the roast should be very tender and shredding with a fork or your hands should be easy.

Shred with hands or fork and place in large bowl. Coat with remaining hoisin sauce. My suggestion is to pour in a bit of the hoisin sauce, toss, and taste. Add more hoisin sauce as you see fit- some will like it to be totally smothered in sauce, whereas others may want a little less sauce. This recipe was made to make the sauce quite abundant, so you may not use it all.