So, here’s the long and short of it. I am short rib obsessed. There is something about this underrated cut of beef that I love. It is incredibly versatile, and I use it for everything from burgers to a center of the plate entrée like this Jacked Up Short Ribs.
A black iron pot of Jacked Up Short Ribs in a hearty whiskey-infused sauce is a flavor-filled twist on a black pot Cajun recipe. (All photos credit: George Graham)
This recipe (he makes it with Jack Daniels Honey whiskey) is my friend Eric Adcock’s favorite, and recently, he reminded me just how good it is. Eric and his wife Jenn are adventurous when it comes to food, and with their Abbeville, Louisiana base, they explore all the top culinary locations in Southwest Louisiana. As a pianist and songwriter, Eric travels the country with the Grammy-nominated Louisiana band Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars. As I evangelize our rich culinary culture, Eric preaches the gospel of Louisiana’s rich culture through his music. And this dish, Jacked Up Short Ribs, will make you fall on your knees and thank the Almighty!
On the road across the US and Canada, Eric Adcock promotes Louisiana culture through his music. (Photo Credit: online archive)
Although I had cooked beef short ribs for years, I had never really viewed it as upscale. That is until I visited Alessandro Stratta’s restaurant Renoir in Las Vegas some years ago. His short ribs were braised in red wine sweetened with lavender honey and deglazed with sherry vinegar. The resulting beef-eating experience was a stark departure from any I’d ever experienced before. Sticky sweet, but with dark, rich beef flavor. With that dish, he single-handedly elevated short ribs to stratospheric heights on the national scene and has been copied by chefs across the country.
Not only have short ribs become an incredibly succulent restaurant entrée, but there is another overriding reason for its popularity on menus of all kinds–it’s cheap. The food cost is minimal for a beef entrée, and when adding a luscious sauce, this dish commands top dollar. Michelin-rated restaurants in New York, Chicago and San Francisco have all embraced this simple cut with their own amazing versions of Chef Stratta’s recipe.
Well-marbled short ribs on the bone only need a few simple ingredients to create magic in this Jacked Up Short Ribs recipe.
With my Jacked Up Short Ribs recipe, I’ve done a Southern take on short ribs with a whiskey-infused sauce and a spicy addition of Cajun seasonings and green chile tomatoes. There are many wine-based versions of this dish, but I like the fun and funk of this “jacked up” one. With the addition of Jack Daniels whiskey, the resulting sauce has a smoky, oak barrel roundness that works perfectly with the beef. The tomato undertone turns this sauce an earthy, brick red with an acidic bite that delivers a Louisiana Creole punch. While these Jacked Up Short Ribs are not a timid Cajun recipe, it is a simple dish and very forgiving on the measurements as well as the cooking time–the longer the braise, the better.
Jacked Up Short Ribs — A new Cajun recipe classic is born.
- 8 meaty beef short ribs
- ½ cup Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup Jack Daniel’s whiskey
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained, such as Rotel
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed and chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup diced green onion tops
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Sprinkle the short ribs lightly with Cajun seasoning making sure to coat all sides. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and stir in the remaining Cajun seasoning. Add the short ribs and coat with flour.
- In a cast-iron pot with a heavy lid on high heat, add the vegetable oil. Once the oil is smoking turn the heat to medium, add the short ribs and sauté the meat on all sides. Once they are completely browned move them to a platter and set aside.
- Immediately add the onions, celery, bell pepper, carrots, and mushrooms to the pot and lower the heat to low. Saute them slowly until the onions just begin to brown and then add the garlic. Stir constantly and make sure the garlic does not burn.
- Keep sautéing until the onions begin to caramelize and then carefully add the whiskey to deglaze. Scrape the bottom of the pot but be careful since the alcohol might ignite — it will subside once burned off.
- While the whiskey is cooking down add the sugar, Rotel, tomato paste, beef stock, chopped rosemary, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Add the short ribs back to the pot.
- Cover the pot and lower the heat to a simmer. Let it braise on the stovetop for 30 minutes and then place in the hot oven for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and uncover. Check to see that the short ribs are fork tender. If so, place them on a serving platter.
- Remove the vegetables and bay leaves from the sauce, reserving the mushrooms. With a large spoon, skim any fat from the top of the remaining liquid. On the stovetop, cook down the remaining sauce to achieve the desired gravy thickness. If needed, mix cornstarch and water to make a slurry and add to the pot. Adjust with more beef stock to thin it out.
- Return the short ribs and the mushrooms to the sauce and move the cast-iron pot to the center of the table for family-style serving. Garnish with green onion tops. In the down-home Louisiana tradition, I like to serve these short ribs with steamed long-grain white rice, but a more elegant presentation might be with mashed potatoes. I’ve even laced my potatoes with horseradish (or wasabi) for an unexpected twist that goes perfectly with the rich, beefy sauce. And for sure, have plenty of crusty French bread and a big, bold Cabernet to accompany this impressive dish.
Jacked Up Short Ribs cooked until fork tender in a rich sauce.
YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE: If you like this Cajun cooking story and Cajun recipe then accept my personal invitation to subscribe by entering your email at the bottom or top right of this page. It’s quick and painless. You will receive an email alert and be the first to see when new Cajun cooking stories and Cajun recipes are added. Thanks, George.
George,
I’ve been following your blog for a few months now and it’s my absolute favorite of all the food blogs I follow. I’m a Cajun from Ville Platte that grew up in Baton Rouge and moved to Lafayette at 16. All of your food is beautiful and I love that you support local farmers and merchants. I went to Rouses today to get the ingredients for this recipe but will be using the Jack Daniels Honey whiskey. Thank you for inspiring me to keep cooking the food of my culture so beautifully!
Thanks Kimberly-
Your beautiful comments are most appreciated. I actually grabbed a bottle of the Jack Daniels Honey at the store when making this dish, but I feared it might elevate the sweetness so I put it back and got the basic whiskey. Please let me know how it works, and if you like it I will include a note on the blog post with the honey option.
Hi George:
When I saw the pictures of this recipe I knew I had to try and make it. Your pictures are beautiful and the details of the recipe are amazing. Thank you so much for this recipe.
I was also afraid it would elevate the sweetness so I omitted the tablespoon of sugar. It was delicious. The honey flavor was really subtle and balanced the tomato out really well. My family loved it. I am looking forward to making several more of your recipes!
Wow! I have been dreaming of these since I saw your post, and today, I finally have some short ribs. Looking forward to a heavenly smell in my kitchen tomorrow!
My wife Jenn and I made the beef short ribs and they were absolutely incredible. One of the most savory dishes we’ve ever cooked. We chose to use the Jack Daniels honey version it was simply perfect. We chose to serve it over mashed potatoes with a good Meritage red wine. This was our first attempt at any of these recipes and we are really inspired to try more. Thank you so much!
Hey Eric- thanks for the kind comments. So glad you tested the honey-infused whiskey and it worked out. Here’s a suggestion; if you love short ribs, try the Coffee-Rubbed Short Rib Burger recipe. Short ribs make an extraordinarily flavorful burger.
I’ve looked at a number of your recipes and they all look fantastic. I’m currently a Kitchen Manager for a Industry-leading natural foods grocer.
I made a variation of this earlier in my life using Jameson but it isn’t a very good tasting Whisky. I used Jim Beam Black. Paired well with the blackening spice we rubbed them in. Looking forward to more great recipes.
Love your recipes and comments. I so miss Louisiana.
Really, really well done site…. congratulations!
Hey Jim-
Thanks for the nice compliment. I enjoy writing it as much as you enjoy reading it. All the best to you. George
The recipe says to remove the vegetable , but the photo shows mushrooms in the sauce ? Do you add the vegetable back to the sauce after you have thickened the gravy?
Phillip – You have a good eye for detail. You are correct in that you remove the vegetables, but reserve the mushrooms to add back later along with the short ribs. Thanks to you, I have clarified the recipe instructions. All the best, and keep the comments coming.
Made this last night for a dinner party, delicious. I used the honey Jack Daniels and didn’t add sugar as suggested. My only dilemma now is to get some other friends booked in for dinner so that I can make this again.
Hey Bex – With these whiskey-infused short ribs, the word will spread quickly. Your invite list is sure to spread. Where are you located in the UK? These short ribs are worth booking a flight for. All the best and keep the comments coming.
Going to try this one tomorrow, but the recipe does not specify when to put the ribs back into the pot, step 6 or 7 it would seem?
Hey Michael- Thanks for your keen eye for catching my oversight; without an editor, it is only through readers like you that I can make my recipes as accurate as possible. You are correct that the beef is added back in step 6; I have adjusted the instructions accordingly. Let me know if you catch any other omissions.
Can’t wait to try this and spread it around with my New Iberia people. I can already taste it.
Phyllis- I assure you that your friends will love this recipe. All the best.
Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious. Is there an easy way to pick out the mushrooms?
Ended up just leaving all the vegetables in the sauce. The carrots in particular were really good. This is a company worthy dish. I will make this again.
Brian – So glad you made this short rib dish. Not sure what you are asking about “an easy way to pick out the mushrooms,” but if you don’t like mushrooms just leave them out of the recipes. And if you like carrots, just add more. All the best.
I meant step nine – removing the vegetables except the mushrooms. I removed the meat then poured the sauce through a colander put the sauce back into the pot. I intended to pick out the mushrooms from the colander and put them back into the pot. That’s what I meant by that. I ended up just dumping it all back into the pot.
Brian – Now I understand. I add back only the mushrooms for a neater presentation since the vegetables have given up most of their flavor to the sauce. That said, you should feel free to return them all to the pot. All the best.