Making these is a lengthy process - they marinate overnight and cook for several hours - but not a very difficult one. The hardest part of this process is waiting for them to come out of the oven because they will make your entire house smell overwhelmingly delicious as they bake.
I finished mine at the end by briefly charring them on each side to caramelize the soy and add a little texture, but you can skip that step and enjoy them straight from the oven - soft and silky - instead. I served these with steamed unadorned greens and sticky rice because, it must be said, these are salty from the soy and need "calm" accompaniments to absorb some of the flavor from these umami bombs.
2 lbs boneless spare ribs ( a little marbling and fat on them will enhance the dish)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sake or dry white wine
thumb sized piece of ginger (I buy organic and shamefully do not peel it)
1 inch square piece of kombu (this adds extra umami to the dish but you can skip it if this is not an integral part of your pantry already)
2 cloves garlic (these I peel...)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup of water
The night before you plan on making these, whiz everything up in the blender except the short ribs.
Pour the marinade over the beef, which I tend to cut in halves or thirds first, cover and place in the fridge. I do this directly in the oven safe dish which I plan on using for cooking in order to save on dishes.
The next morning while you are making your coffee, turn the short ribs over in the marinade and put back in the fridge until an hour before you need them.
An hour before cooking, remove the dish from the fridge to come to room temperature and turn the beef over in the marinade again.
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300.
Add 1/2 cup of water to the mix, cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 3 hours, turning the meat over at the half way mark and adding 1/4 cup more water if you feel that the levels of liquid are getting too low.
You can eat these as is, straight from the oven but, as mentioned above, you can take an extra step if you are so inclined.
Heat a grill pan until it is very hot. Oil it lightly. Remove the beef pieces from the dish and pat them lightly to remove excess liquid. Sear them quickly on each side to char the meat lightly.
Serve with plain greens and rice, drizzled with a little of the juices from the pan.
# beef
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