Jacob's ladder (beef with bones)

Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F). Pat the Jacob's ladder beef short ribs dry with kitchen paper and season generously all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a large, heavy-based casserole dish or Dutch oven over high heat. Sear the short ribs on all sides until deeply browned, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan.

Remove the seared ribs and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add a splash more olive oil if needed, then sauté diced onion, carrot, and celery in the same pan until softened and lightly caramelised.

Add garlic, tomato paste, and any chosen aromatics such as thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves, stirring for one minute until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with red wine or beef stock, scraping up any caramelised bits from the bottom.

Return the seared ribs to the casserole, bone-side down, and pour in enough beef stock to come roughly halfway up the meat. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.

Cover the casserole tightly with a lid or foil and transfer to the preheated oven. Braise slowly, turning the ribs once halfway through cooking, until the meat is completely tender and falling away from the bones.

Carefully remove the ribs from the braising liquid and set aside to rest. Strain the cooking juices into a saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to a rich, glossy sauce, skimming any excess fat from the surface.

Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as required. Plate the Jacob's ladder ribs and spoon the reduced sauce generously over the top before serving with your chosen accompaniments.