This week’s forecast calls for snow which always has me desperately craving warm, substantial, hearty meals, and the best ones don’t require my hovering over the stove for hours. I went straight to the fridge for short ribs and then to the pantry for the slow cooker. A few hours later, I had a plateful of meaty short ribs so juicy and tender, I barely needed a fork to get them to my mouth. Warmed-up leftover smashed potatoes added to my plate helped to create a new favorite winter meal. Slow cooking takes a fair amount of time but the end result makes it worth every single minute.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup flour
4 pieces bone-in beef short ribs
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup beef stock
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1 cup slivered carrots
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste

TOOLS
paper plate
cutting board
paper towels
measuring cups and spoons
kitchen tongs
5-quart slow cooker

METHOD
1. Place flour on plate, then set aside. Place ribs on cutting board, then pat down with paper towels until dry.
2. Season ribs with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, then dredge in flour until well-coated.
3. Put slow cooker on Brown setting and add oil. Heat oil for a few minutes until very hot but not smoking, then add seasoned ribs, one at a time, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. Brown on all four sides.
4. Set slow cooker to high. Add beef stock, onions, carrots, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste.
5. Cover and cook on high until meat is tender–about 4 hours.

NOTES & TIPS
• Patting the meat dry with paper towels allows the meat to sear, instead of steam, sealing in the juices.
• I prefer to use a paper plate over a plastic baggie for flour dredging so that I can evenly coat the meat by hand.
• If your slow cooker does not have a Brown setting, brown seasoned ribs in a skillet first, then add them to slow cooker.

READY IN
4 1/2 hours

YIELD
4 servings