Jacob's Ladder Beef

Have you tried Jacob's ladder beef yet? If you haven't, you had better put it on your list. It's one of those cuts, that once you have tried it, you will be hooked.

These beef short ribs are slow cooked to perfection in a simple red wine sauce which really shows off their amazingly rich flavour.

Easy to prepare and cook, so that your kitchen is filled with a delicious aroma, that assails the senses as you walk in the room!

The meat is so tender that the bones can just be pulled out. This makes it perfect for a different Sunday roast or for meat to use in other dishes.

Enjoy!

Jump to:

• FAQs
• Why you will love this recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking Time
• 🥗 Side Dishes
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

FAQs

Why you will love this recipe

• No complicated ingredients and made with cupboard staples.
• Quick to prepare and the oven does the work.
• Tender, delicious meat and the bones just fall out.
• Rich flavour from roasting on the bone.
• Perfect for entertaining or to use the meat for another meal.

🥘 Ingredients

• Beef - Jacob's ladder ribs. A ladder of 4 will serve 2 people. If your butcher can't make this cut for you then there are many place online where you can order for delivery.
• Oil - vegetable or sunflower oil for searing the meat at a high temperature.
• Carrot - any carrot, any shape, for adding flavour to the gravy.
• Onion - standard brown onion for flavour.
• Thyme - fresh thyme.
• Stock - beef stock, made up from a cube or use Bovril.
• Wine - red wine of your choice that you would normally drink.
• Seasoning - salt and freshly ground black pepper for the meat.
• Cornflour - or cornstarch. Optional for thickening the gravy at the end.

See recipe card for quantities.

🍽 Equipment

• sharp knife
• large frying pan or skillet
• carving fork - for safely moving the meat
• large casserole dish with lid - deep dish covered with foil
• slotted spoon
• wooden spoon

🔪 Instructions

Peel and roughly cut the onion and carrot into chunks.

The vegetables will be discarded before serving, so there is no need to be exact.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the carrots and onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally for 2 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to the bottom of a heavy casserole dish.

Turn up the heat to high and add the beef.

Use the carving fork to turn the meat so that it is seared on all sides.

💭 Top Tip

• If you ever wondered if searing beef makes it more tender, the answer is deeper than that. It's not about locking juices in or making it tender as the cooking process will take care of that. The main purpose of searing protein, such as beef, over a high heat with only a little oil, is to produce the Maillard effect. This is the chemical reaction that occurs between the proteins, or amino acids in meat and fish and the natural sugars. This is what gives the meat, colour, flavour and makes it irresistable!

Place the beef short ribs on top of the vegetables, so that they act as a trivet.

This will allow all of the liquid to circulate the meat for even cooking.

Add the red wine to the frying panover a medium heat.

Cook for 2 minutes to deglaze the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape any crusty bits from the bottom, as these all add extra flavour to the finished dish.

Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer.

Add the mixture to the beef.

Season with the salt and pepper and add the fresh thyme.

Place the lid on the dish or cover tightly with foil if using.

⏲️ Cooking Time

Preheat the oven to 150 C / 300 F / 130 FAN / Gas 2.

Cook the beef ribs for about 2.5 hours.

💭 Top Tip

• I prefer to check the meat after 40 minutes to make sure that there is sufficient liquid, especially if I am using an unfamiliar pan. As the liquid won't cover the meat I also turn thejacob's ladder ribs a few times during cooking.

It is easy to test when the meat is cooked as the bones should be easy to remove.

Place the meat in a warm place covered with foil while making the sauce.

Strain the cooking juices into a jug and discard the thyme and vegetables.

Let the liquid settle for a few minutes and the fat will rise to the top.

Carefully remove the fat with a spoon into a bowl. Chill to set and discard later.

💭 Top Tip

• Please don't be tempted to pour the excess fat down the sink. When it cool it will solidify and this will ultimately block the sink!

Place the remaining liquid in a saucepan over a medium heat.

Check the seasoning and consistency of the sauce.

Either cook for a few minutes to reduce the sauce until it is thicker or use cornflour.

Simply mix a teaspoon of cornflour with equal amounts of water and stir into the mixture until it thickens. Repeat the process if required.

Serve the sauce with the meat.

You could also divide the jacob's ladder ribs into individual portions of two ribs before cooking if you prefer.

Dig in and enjoy!

🥗 Side Dishes

Try some of these side dishes with beef

• Braised Red Cabbage
• Leeks in White Sauce
• Honey Roast Carrots and Parsnips
• Fried Cabbage with Bacon
• Cavolo Nero Kale
• Easy Roast Potatoes
• Yorkshire Pudding
• Roast Savoy Cabbage
• Celeriac Mash
• Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Casserole
• Duchess Potatoes

🥙 Substitutions

• Red wine - if you prefer not to use alcohol simple replace the wine with an equal quantity of beef stock.

📖 Variations

• Bourguignon beef style - replace the onions with small onions or shallots and leave whole. Fry some bacon lardons and add to the vegetables. At the end of cooking leave the vegetables to serve with the beef.
• Vegetables - for extra flavour use choped celery or celeriac for a different flavour or a combination.

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - cool cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Freezer - freeze in containers with the sauce for up to 3 months. Alternatively, shred the meat and use for stir fries, cottage pie, curries and Mexican dishes.
• To reheat - place covered in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 until piping hot.

🍱 Prepare in Advance

• Cook the meat the day before if you want to get ahead. This also intensifies the flavour. Strain off the liquid into a jug or bowl and refrigerate separately. This means that all of the fat can be removed. Thicken the sauce then place in the oven to reheat as above.

More beef recipes

• Beef Olives
• Slow Cooker Brisket
• Flanken Short Ribs
• Corned Beef Fritters
• Roast Rib of Beef
• Picanha Beef
• Chateaubriand

📋 Recipe

More beef, lamb and venison to try

Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?

Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover the dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties

However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.