German Short Ribs - Crockpot

Six to eight hours in the slow cooker turns tough short ribs into something you can pull apart with a fork, and the sweet-tangy German-style braising liquid is what makes this version stand out from a basic beef stew. Chili sauce and brown sugar lean sweet, while vinegar and Worcestershire pull it back toward savory, the way a good sauerbraten sauce does.

The browning step before the crockpot is worth the extra ten minutes. Coating the ribs in seasoned flour and searing them in shortening builds a fond that adds backbone to the sauce, and that flour coating helps thicken the liquid as it cooks. Skip it and you get a thinner, weaker gravy.

The final flour slurry at the end is what takes the braising liquid from thin pan juice to gravy thick enough to cling to wide egg noodles. Stir it in slowly so you don’t break the ribs apart.

Pro Tips

• Spoon off as much fat as you can before adding the chili sauce, short ribs render a lot of fat and the sauce will turn greasy without skimming
• A bone-in cut gives richer flavor than boneless, the bone marrow melts into the sauce during the long cook
• Resist stirring the crockpot during cooking, every lift of the lid adds 15 to 20 minutes to the cook time
• Let the ribs rest 10 minutes after cooking before serving, the meat reabsorbs juices and stays tender on the plate
• Leftovers improve overnight, the sauce penetrates further and the flavors deepen

Variations

• Swap red wine for dark beer (a German bock or dunkel) for a more traditional stube flavor
• Add 1 cup of sliced mushrooms in the last hour for an earthy upgrade
• Serve over buttered spaetzle or mashed potatoes instead of egg noodles for a heartier plate