Short Ribs That Fall Off the Bone While You Live Your Day

You sear the short ribs, pour in the braising liquid, and let a low oven do the rest of the work over several hours. By the time the meat is falling off the bone, the whole house smells like something worth waiting for. This is what a slow braise gives you, real flavor built mostly by time, not effort.

Beef is a source of iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, nutrients involved in energy and steady blood, and the long, slow cook draws collagen and gelatin out of the bone and into the broth, gentle on a gut already doing quiet repair work. The cranberries add tang and body without leaning on added sugar, since berries are naturally lower in sugar than most fruit.

This recipe comes from an early cookbook in the Autoimmune Protocol lineage, and it deserves the same care it was written with. Take a moment before you serve it to honor the animal that fed this meal, then ladle the ribs and their liquid into bowls and sit down to something warm.

Ingredients

• 4 lbs beef short ribs
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1.5 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1 cup cranberries
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• parsley, to garnish

Swaps made: none needed for Core. Choose a clean-label, unsweetened cranberry juice, and check the broth for any excluded ingredients.

Method

• Heat the coconut oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the short ribs on all sides until browned, then season with the sea salt.
• Pour in the chicken broth, cranberry juice, and apple cider vinegar, and add the cranberries and bay leaf. The liquid should come about a third of the way up the meat.
• Cover the pot and braise in a 300 F oven for 2 to 3 hours, until the meat falls off the bone.
• Lift out the bay leaf, scatter parsley over the top, and serve hot with the pan liquid spooned over.

Instant Pot variation

Sear the short ribs in batches on the saute setting with the coconut oil, then season. Add the broth, cranberry juice, vinegar, cranberries, and bay leaf. Seal and cook on high pressure, then let the pressure release naturally before opening. Pressure-cooker timing for a heavy cut like short ribs varies by size, so treat the exact minutes as untested here and check that the meat pulls apart easily before serving (verify).

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*