These Asian Style Short Ribs are braised in the slow cooker until the meat is fall-apart tender and infused with classic Asian flavors. Serve them with a crunchy Daikon salad for an easy and impressive winter meal.Adapted from Brigit Binns, The New Slow Cooker (Williams-Sonoma)
Trim the short ribs of excess fat. Season the ribs on all sides with the salt, pepper, and five-spice powder.
Preheat your oven's broiler and place rack in upper-middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on the lined sheet and arrange short ribs in a single layer. Broil 8-10 minutes on each side, turning when browned and sizzling.
Combine Hoisin, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, onion, ginger and garlic in the insert of a slow cooker. Add the broiled ribs, and toss gently until ribs are coated with braising liquid on all sides. If arranging ribs in more than one layer, place thicker cuts at the bottom. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW until the meat is tender, 7-8 hours.
Remove short ribs from the slow cooker and transfer to a serving platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Skim braising liquid of fat (or strain in a gravy separator). Pour a few tablespoons of the sauce over the short ribs and serve immediately, topped with Daikon-Carrot Salad and chopped peanuts.
Make the Daikon-Carrot Salad
Shred daikon and carrots on the large holes of a box grater. Place daikon in a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and drain for 10-15 minutes to remove excess liquid. Discard liquid and toss drained daikon carrots, shallot, and cilantro in a bowl. Set aside.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together peanut oil and 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. When ready to serve, pour over salad and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt.
Notes
*English-cut are the shorter, fatter-looking short ribs you'll find in the butcher case (as compared to "flanken-cut," which are longer and flatter.)