How to Cook Bison Short Ribs Low and Slow at Home This Week
Short ribs earned their nickname as the Flintstones cut for a reason. My kids ask for them by that name now, and there is something genuinely satisfying about handing someone a bone-in piece of meat this size and watching them figure out where to start. Getting there takes patience though, and short ribs punish impatience more than almost any other cut in the freezer. Here is exactly how to cook them, including a distinction most guides skip entirely that will save you from ruining a genuinely great cut of meat.
What Makes Short Ribs a Great Slow Cook Cut
Bison Short Ribs come from the rib and plate section of the animal, an area dense with collagen and connective tissue that takes real time to break down. That same toughness is exactly why the cut rewards low, slow cooking so generously. Given enough time at the right temperature, the collagen converts into gelatin, turning a genuinely tough cut into something that pulls apart with a fork and carries deep, rich flavor the entire way through.
English Cut vs Korean Flanken Cut: A Distinction That Actually Matters
This is the detail most short rib guides skip entirely, and it changes everything about how you should cook them. Our Bison Short Ribs come in the traditional English cut, thick, bone-in pieces with the bone running parallel to the meat, built specifically for long, slow braising. Our Pasture Raised Beef Short Ribs, Korean Style, sometimes called flanken cut, are sliced thin across the bone instead, with several small cross sections of bone visible in each strip. These two cuts are not interchangeable, and cooking one like the other is the single biggest mistake people make with short ribs. English cut wants hours of low, moist heat. Flanken cut, being thin, actually wants a fast, hot grill, closer to how you would treat a steak than a braise.
Why the Same Animal Produces Such Different Cuts
The rib and plate section runs along a large portion of the animal's side, and how the butcher slices through it entirely determines the final cut. Slicing parallel to the bone, the traditional Western approach, leaves thick sections of meat over a single long bone, which is the English cut built for braising. Slicing perpendicular across several ribs at once, the traditional Korean butchering approach, produces those thin strips with multiple small bone cross sections, built for a fast grill instead. Neither method is more correct than the other. They simply optimize for two completely different cooking styles from the exact same part of the animal.
Braising English Cut Bison Short Ribs, Step by Step
- Pat the Bison Short Ribs dry and season generously with salt and pepper
- Sear on all sides in a heavy, oven safe pot until deeply browned, about 3 minutes per side
- Remove and cook a diced onion, two diced carrots, and three cloves of minced garlic in the same pot until softened
- Deglaze with a cup of stout beer or red wine, scraping up the browned bits, and let it reduce slightly
- Return the ribs to the pot, add enough broth to come about halfway up the sides, and bring to a simmer
- Cover and braise in a 300°F oven for 3 to 3.5 hours, until the meat pulls away from the bone with almost no resistance
For an even simpler version, a team member's own preferred method is genuinely just water and salt, simmered low and slow until tender. It produces a cleaner, more straightforward flavor that lets the quality of the meat itself do the talking, which is worth trying at least once before you reach for a more involved braise. Try it in the Instant Pot at high pressure for 90 minutes if you're short on time.
Grill First, Then Crock Pot: The BBQ Method
For a barbecue style result, sear the ribs hard on a hot grill first to build a deep, charred crust, then transfer them to a crock pot generously coated in your favorite barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, until they reach the same fall apart tenderness as an oven braise. The initial grill char adds a smoky depth a straight braise cannot replicate, while the crock pot handles the long, unattended cooking time.
Grilling Korean-Style Flanken Short Ribs
The Korean Style Beef Short Ribs want the opposite treatment. Marinate the thin strips for at least a few hours in a mixture of soy sauce, a little sweetness, garlic, and ginger, then grill quickly over high heat, just 2 to 3 minutes per side. Because the cut is thin and the bone pieces are small, this style cooks through fast and stays tender without any long, slow cooking at all. Braising a flanken cut the way you would an English cut wastes the thin, quick cooking nature of the meat entirely.
What to Serve Alongside Each Style
English cut short ribs, rich and deeply savory after hours of braising, pair naturally with something starchy that can soak up the sauce, like mashed potatoes, polenta, or a simple crusty bread. Korean style flanken ribs lean brighter and more caramelized off the grill, and traditionally get served alongside rice, a simple cucumber salad, and something fermented like kimchi to cut through the richness. Serving either style with the wrong sides will not ruin the meal, but matching sides to the cooking style tends to round out the flavor profile far better than an afterthought pairing.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Short Ribs
Braised English cut short ribs actually improve after a day in the refrigerator, since the flavors have more time to meld together, and they reheat beautifully covered in a low oven with a splash of the reserved braising liquid to keep them moist. Grilled Korean style ribs are best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers reheat reasonably well in a hot skillet for a minute or two per side, just enough to warm through without drying out the thin strips further. Either style also freezes well for up to three months, making a double batch a genuinely efficient way to stock the freezer for a future night when cooking from scratch is not an option.
How to Tell When English Cut Short Ribs Are Actually Done
Time alone is not a reliable indicator. The real test is whether the meat pulls away from the bone with light pressure from a fork, and whether a thin skewer or knife slides into the thickest part with almost no resistance. If either test meets any real resistance, the ribs need more time, regardless of how long they have already cooked.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Short Ribs
Treating Flanken Cut Like English Cut
Braising thin, Korean style short ribs for hours turns them dry and stringy rather than tender, since they were never built for that kind of long cook in the first place.
Not Braising English Cut Long Enough
Pulling English cut ribs too early leaves the connective tissue only partially broken down, resulting in a chewy, tough bite despite hours in the oven. When in doubt, give it more time rather than less.
Skipping the Initial Sear
Whether braising or crock potting, going straight to low heat without searing first skips the deep, caramelized flavor that a hard sear builds and that carries through the entire dish.
Troubleshooting: What Went Wrong and How to Fix It
My English Cut Ribs Came Out Tough
This almost always means they needed more time. Return them to a 300°F oven, covered, and check again in 30 minute intervals until they pass the fork test.
My Korean Style Ribs Came Out Chewy
This usually means they were overcooked on the grill. Pull them sooner next time, closer to 2 minutes per side, and rely on a quick sear rather than extended grilling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between English cut and Korean cut short ribs?
English cut is thick and bone-in, built for long, slow braising, while Korean or flanken cut is sliced thin across the bone and cooks quickly on a hot grill.
Can I use a pressure cooker instead of braising for English cut ribs?
Yes, an Instant Pot works well for this cut, typically taking 50 to 60 minutes on high pressure with a natural release, following the same principles covered in our Instant Pot vs Crock Pot guide.
Why are my short ribs still tough after hours of cooking?
This usually means they simply need more time. Unlike a steak, more time almost always improves an English cut short rib rather than ruining it, as long as the heat stays low and gentle.
Do I need to marinate Korean style short ribs?
It is not strictly required, but a few hours in a soy based marinade adds significant flavor and helps tenderize the thin strips before their quick trip on the grill.
Can I make bison short ribs Korean style instead of braising them?
Not with the English cut version, since the thick, bone-in pieces are too large to cook through quickly on a grill. The Korean preparation works best with a true flanken cut.
Where can I buy short ribs online?
Our Bison Short Ribs and Korean Style Beef Short Ribs are both available for delivery. If you have questions about which cut fits your recipe, call us at 800-674-8426.