The well-travelled chef at Fire & Ice brings his experience of Indian cooking to this meaty, smoky dish; perfect for a barbecue – if you want to show off.

Chef Andrew says: ‘For Fire and Ice the braised beef ribs is an excellent dish. The sauce uses a combination of ingredients and cooking methods that I have learnt in the West Indies and India. The use of Indian spices to “temper” the sauce, plus smoking the final sauce on a charcoal grill, which is a traditional Indian method used in Rajasthan cuisine, really gives the final dish an excellent flavour.’

The recipe

Ingredients
(Serves four)
• 8 beef short ribs (2-3kg)
• 250g plum tomatoes
• 250g pineapple, fresh, ripe peeled
• 700g red onions, peeled and sliced
• 50g garlic, minced
• 50g ginger, minced
• 20g whole Kashmir red chilli
• 20g cumin powder roasted
• 10g black mustard seeds
• 8 whole cloves
• 10 whole green cardamom pods
• 100g tomato paste
• 200ml white vinegar
• 150g soft brown sugar
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2.5-3 litres beef stock
• 100g ghee or clarified butter
• 100ml light olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1 This dish is best made the day before serving.
2 In a griddle pan or over a barbecue, grill the seasoned ribs, pineapple and tomatoes until dark brown all over.
3 Sauté the onions in the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat for around seven-10 minutes, until light brown.
4 Add the garlic and ginger, then cook, stirring for three to four minutes.
5 Add the brown sugar and cook over a high heat until dissolved.
6 Add the vinegar, tomato paste, pineapple, and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, continually stirring.
7 In a small pan, heat 75g of the ghee or clarified butter and add the whole spices when hot. Continue to heat for 20 seconds – this will crackle – pour the spices into the sauce and add the ribs, beef stock and rosemary.
8 Bring to a simmer and cover with foil to ensure a tight seal around the edge. Cook over the lowest heat for four to six hours, depending on your stove.
9 Check the ribs after three to three-and-a-half hours. The meat will ‘slip off the bone’ when cooked.
10 At this stage, remove from the heat and cool for three to four hours. Remove the ribs gently, and blend the sauce.
11 Strain through a fine sieve and return to a clean pan.
12 When smoking the ribs, do it in a well-ventilated area.
13 Place two or three pieces of burning charcoal in a stainless steel bowl, then place the bowl inside the pan containing the sauce.
14 Add the rest of the ghee or butter to the hot charcoal and cover the pan with a damp cloth to keep the smoke in.
15 After 10 minutes remove the cloth, blow, stir and season the sauce to taste.
16 Remove the bones from the ribs. Heat the ribs in the sauce and serve with a crisp salad.

The chef

Name: Andrew M Whiffen
Nationality: British

Chef Andrew is somewhat of an adventurous type. Having trained under the Roux brothers in London for nine years, he then jetted off to Barbados where he spent five years in various top kitchens, and then onto India for five years. He’s settled into Dubai life since January last year, working as the executive chef at Raffles Dubai.