I think of Slow Roasted Beef Ribs and two words spring to mind. Rich and unctuous. This is a gorgeous dish. Meltingly rich, flavoursome beef perfumed with orange, cinnamon and star anise.

And so easy to prepare. Sear the ribs and simply slow roast in the oven for two and a half hours. Another perfect set and forget dinner, that requires maybe twenty minutes preparation effort in the kitchen. Prepare the sauce as you cook the rice and steam the greens.

Beef short ribs are available at any good butcher. A cheaper cut of meat, they require long, slow cooking. I find this much easier to do in the oven than on the stove top. I would never leave a pot unattended on the stove but am quite happy to go about my busy schedule knowing dinner is slowly roasting away in the oven.

My preference is to buy the short ribs in 2 racks weighing just over a kilo each. Once cooked the meat will be almost falling off the slab like bones. I find the presentation of the ribs is nicer carving from the rack into individual portions. Most butchers sell short ribs already cut into smaller portions so you may have to ask them for a larger piece. Using smaller cuts of short ribs is no problem. The end result is just as tender and delicious, it’s just likely that the meat will fall well away from the bone as it roasts.

Here are the short rib racks after a ten minute searing.

With the braising ingredients added to the pot.

And lastly, here’s the pot, with baking paper sealing in the liquids, ready for a long, slow roast in the oven.

As the short ribs roast the house will be filled with a heady aroma of orange, cinnamon and star anise. How irresistible is that?

Slow Roasted Beef Short Ribs with Orange, Star Anise and Cinnamon
Serves 6

2.5 kg bone-in beef short ribs
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
2 long red chillies, finely sliced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Strips of orange zest
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup hoi sin sauce
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 cinnamon quill
5 whole star anise

Steamed rice and greens to serve
Sliced chillies and picked coriander leaves to garnish

PREHEAT oven to 170 C.
TRIM any excess fat from short ribs. Season generously with black pepper.
HEAT a heavy based pot ( Le Creuset or similar) over medium-high flame.
ADD oil and brown short ribs on all three meaty sides [but not on bone side] for about 10 minutes. Do this in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Transfer the ribs to a plate.
DRAIN any excess fat from the pot. Reduce heat to medium.
ADD onions, carrots, garlic, chilli and ginger to pot. Cook for about 5 minutes until vegetables are soft and translucent, and spices fragrant.
ADD orange zest and juice, soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, hoi sin sauce and brown sugar to the pan. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer.
RETURN short ribs to the arranging in a single layer, meaty side down. The braising liquid won’t completely cover the ribs.
ADD star anise and the cinnamon quill submerging them in the braising liquids.
PLACE parchment paper over the ribs and braising mixture.
COVER the pot with a lid and place in oven, middle rack position. SLOW ROAST until ribs are tender, about 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours, turning ribs once about halfway through cooking.
REMOVE pot from oven and transfer ribs to platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
MAKE the sauce. Strain braising liquids, pressing with a spoon to extract as much of the liquids as possible. Spoon off any surface fat. RETURN liquids to the pot and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until reduced by half.
CARVE beef ribs into serving sized portions. Drizzle generously with sauce. Garnish with sliced red chilli and coriander leaves.
SERVE with steamed rice and greens, with any extra sauce in a jug on the side.