Sticky sichuan peppercorn short ribs

Short ribs can be tricky, as they need plenty of time to cook slowly. Finishing them on the grill will produce meltingly soft meat with a smoky, spicy char from the glaze. After slow-cooking in the oven, the ribs will keep for up to two days in the fridge, should you want to get ahead.

6 HOURS | SERVES 4 | EASY

beef short ribs 4 sichuan peppercorns 1 tbsp cumin seeds 2 tbsp

dried red chilli flakes 1 tbsp

dark soy sauce 3 tbsp

black vinegar 3 tbsp

soft light brown sugar 100g

chicken stock 750ml

ginger 2 thumb-sized pieces, peeled and sliced

garlic 8 cloves, bashed

coriander a small bunch, stalks only, plus leaves to serve SMACKED CUCUMBERS

cucumbers 2

rice vinegar 6 tbsp

caster sugar 1 tbsp

chiu chow chilli oil 2 tbsp

garlic 3 cloves, finely chopped

1 Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 2. Season the short ribs really well and put into a large roasting tin that fits them all snugly. Toast the peppercorns and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan until smelling toasty, then crush lightly with a pestle and mortar. Add to the roasting tin along with the dried chilli flakes. Whisk together the soy, black vinegar, sugar and stock, then tip into the tin. Tuck in the ginger slices, garlic and coriander stalks. Cover with a layer of baking paper, then seal the tin with a sheet of foil. Bake for 5 hours until the short ribs are meltingly tender, but not falling apart.

2 Take out of the oven, leave to cool slightly, then remove the short ribs to a tray or plate. Pour the braising liquid into a large, shallow pan and cook over a medium heat until reduced to a glaze. Remove the garlic, ginger and coriander stalks.

3 For the smacked cucumbers, use a rolling pin to bash the cucumbers until they split and soften. Cut in half lengthways, then in half again and chop into chunky pieces. Tip into a bowl and toss with the rice vinegar, sugar, chilli oil, garlic and a big pinch of salt. Leave to marinate for an hour.

4 Heat a barbecue to high. Carefully put the ribs onto the grill and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until caramelised, carefully turning so they don’t fall apart. Brush liberally with the sauce and cook for another 1-2 minutes but keep an eye on them as the glaze can burn. Serve the ribs with plenty of the left-over sauce, the cucumbers and a few coriander leaves.

PER SERVING 872 kcals | fat 47.2G saturates 18.8G | carbs 47.1G | sugars 40.6G fibre 3.5G | protein 60.2G | salt 3.6G