Braised Montana Coffee Marinated Bison Short Ribs

Fit for Company, Rewarms Well, Freezes Well, Grass-Fed Beef

SERVES: 4 to 6

With its huge forequarter, a bison produces lots of short ribs. That’s great news, because short ribs are some of the tastiest parts of the beast and bison short ribs are plentiful enough to be reasonably priced. Montana has some of the largest herds of bison, and I imagine cowboys cooking up a mess of ribs with some leftover coffee and a bit of bacon—the shallots and soy sauce here, however, may not have been part of the chuck wagon larder. These are some tasty ribs.

INGREDIENTS:

• Coffee-Maple Marinade/Brine
• 4 cups water
• 3 cups chilled strong coffee
• ½ cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¼ cup table salt
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup real maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups ice cubes
• 4 pounds bone-in English-cut bison short ribs

MONTANA COFFEE SAUCE

• ¼ cup diced bacon
• 2 cups chopped onions
• ½ cup chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 small jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 cup strong coffee
• 1 cup homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup chilisauce (I use Heinz) or ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, or more to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

MARINADE/BRINE

1. Combine the water, coffee, salt, and brown sugar in a large plastic tub or stainless steel bowl and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in the maple syrup, rosemary, and Worcestershire. Chill the brine by stirring in the ice until it melts; the brine should be very cold, about 45°F, before the meat is added. Add the ribs, weigh them down with a plate, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
2.  Remove the ribs from the brine and pat them dry. Discard the brine. (At this point, the ribs can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
3.  Preheat the oven to 325°F.

SAUCE

1. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until browned and beginning to crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and set aside. Increase the heat to medium-high and, working in batches, add the ribs to the pot and lightly brown on all sides, about 7 minutes per batch. Remove to a plate and set aside.
2.  Add the onions, shallots, garlic, and jalapeño to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the coffee and stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil.
3.  Add the bacon and short ribs, and when the pot returns to a boil, cover and pop into the oven. Cook for 2 hours, or until the ribs are fork-tender. If not done, cover and continue cooking, checking every 30 minutes.
4.  When the ribs are done, remove from the oven and degrease any surface fat. If the sauce is too thin, remove the ribs and boil down to a syrupy consistency. You should have 2 to 3 cups sauce. Taste the sauce and add more vinegar and brown sugar, and season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. If necessary, return the ribs to the sauce and reheat before serving.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS

• Bison back ribs (use 6 to 8 pounds), grass-fed beef back ribs (check them after 1½ hours; they may take less time to cook), or beef oxtails (they will take 3 to 4 hours to cook).

COOK’S NOTES

• This dish is best when made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. The gelatin from the meat thickens the sauce nicely after a day or so of refrigeration. Remove the congealed fat and rewarm.
• Bison short ribs are much leaner than beef ribs, but they still have enough fat to yield soft and juicy meat. Just be sure to cook them long and slow.
• If there is any sauce left over, use it to glaze grilled steaks or pork chops.
• The Coffee-Maple Marinade/Brine is a great way to add juiciness to lean roasts.
• Try it with grass-fed cuts such as sirloin tip, top round, cross-rib, and lean cuts of
  pork such as loin or leg.