A humble cut elevated through patience: slow-roasted to a perfect medium-rare, then hit with a blistering sear. Finished with compound butter and served alongside horseradish cream.
Remove the ribs from their packaging and pat them completely dry with paper towels. Every surface should feel dry to the touch — moisture is the enemy of a good sear tomorrow.
Season all sides generously with 1½ teaspoons Redmond Real Salt. Don't be shy — some will absorb overnight and some will stay on the surface to build your crust.
All salt measurements in this recipe are calibrated for Redmond Real Salt, which is a fine-grained mined salt — significantly denser than Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If substituting Diamond Crystal, roughly double the volume measurements.
Place the ribs on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for 8–24 hours.
Do not wrap or cover — you want the surface to dry outTwo things happen while you sleep. First, the salt draws out surface moisture, then gets reabsorbed deep into the meat — so you get seasoning throughout, not just on the outside. Second, the uncovered fridge time desiccates the surface. A dry exterior means faster, harder browning when you sear. This single step is the biggest upgrade you can make to the final crust.
Pull the ribs from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking to take the chill off. Cold meat in a low oven adds unpredictable cook time. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 225°F.
Coat all sides of the ribs with a thin, even layer of 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. You don't need much — just enough to barely see it. This isn't about mustard flavor; it's a binder that helps the seasoning adhere and promotes browning.
Season all four sides with ¾ teaspoon Redmond Real Salt and 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper. Press the seasoning into the mustard so it sticks.
Place the ribs on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest piece, targeting the center. Place in the oven.
The probe is king — time is just a guidelineRoast until the internal temperature reaches 128°F. At 225°F, expect roughly 60–75 minutes for 1"+ thick cuts. Don't open the oven to check — trust the probe.
Remove the pan from the oven. Tent loosely with foil — drape it over the top and bend gently down the sides, leaving gaps for airflow. Leave the ribs on the rack. Rest for 10 minutes.
Pulling at 128°F with a 10-minute rest before the sear means your final internal temp will land around 130–133°F — a perfect medium-rare. The sear adds another couple of degrees on the surface only, which is exactly what you want: deep color outside, rosy and juicy inside.
Traditional sear-first cooking drives heat inward from the surface, creating a thick band of overcooked gray meat before you hit the pink center. Reversing the order — slow oven first, then sear — means the meat comes to temperature gently and evenly from edge to edge. Chuck short ribs benefit especially because the low, slow heat gives their intramuscular fat and collagen time to soften, making a notoriously chewy cut tender enough to rival ribeye. Then the final sear is purely cosmetic: all crust, no overcooking.
While the ribs rest, get your flat top grill (or heaviest cast iron skillet) screaming hot. You want it at the absolute maximum — if you hold your hand 6 inches above and can't keep it there for more than a second, you're in the right zone.
Add 2 tablespoons avocado oil to the surface. It should shimmer and just barely start to smoke.
Olive oil will burn here — avocado oil's high smoke point is essentialSear each side for 45–60 seconds. Don't move the meat once it's down — let the crust build. You're looking for deep, mahogany-brown color with no gray patches. Hit all four sides.
In the final 30 seconds of the last side, add 2 tablespoons butter and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme to the grill. Once the butter foams, tilt the pan slightly and spoon the butter over the ribs repeatedly for about 30 seconds. This is the make-or-break moment — the thyme perfumes the butter and the butter lacquers the crust.
Transfer to an insulated container or wrap in a towel-lined cooler. Rest for 5–8 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.
Keep that final rest short. You've already rested once after the oven — if you go another 15 minutes in an insulated container, carryover cooking pushes you past medium-rare into medium territory. Five to eight minutes is enough for the juices to redistribute after the sear without overshooting.
Both of these can — and should — be made ahead. The compound butter keeps for a week in the fridge or months in the freezer. The horseradish cream is best made the morning of, or even the day before.
In a small bowl, mash together 4 tablespoons softened butter, 2 cloves roasted garlic (mashed to a paste), 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Season with flaky sea salt.
Roll into a log using parchment paper, twist the ends, and refrigerate until firm. Slice into coins when ready to serve — place one on each portion of sliced ribs and let it melt over the hot meat.
Stir together ½ cup crème fraîche, 1½ tablespoons prepared horseradish, the zest of half a lemon, and a pinch of Redmond salt. Taste and adjust — it should have a clean, bright heat that cuts through the richness of the beef.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors meld and the heat mellows slightly. Serve a generous spoonful alongside each portion.
The compound butter gives you richness and herbs melting into the crust. The horseradish cream gives you acid and heat cutting through the fat. Serve both — they do completely different jobs on the plate, and together they make this feel like a steakhouse experience.
Slice the ribs thinly against the grain and fan them across the plate. Place a coin of compound butter on top and a spoonful of horseradish cream alongside. These sides pair beautifully:
Romanian-style soft polenta. The creamy, mild starch is the perfect canvas for the beefy drippings and melting compound butter.
The bitterness and crunch play against the rich, tender beef. A natural pairing.
Quick sear with chili flake and lemon. Bright, slightly bitter, and takes 5 minutes.
Peppery greens, shaved cheese, simple lemon vinaigrette. Cuts through the richness like a knife.
Honey-glazed, kissed with caraway seed. Romanian-adjacent and deeply savory.
If you want to skip the compound butter, a bright chimichurri over thin slices is stunning.
Look at the surface of the meat — you'll see lines running in one direction. Those are muscle fibers. Slice perpendicular to them (against the grain) so each slice has short fibers that break apart easily when you bite. This is especially important for chuck, which has strong fibers that can be chewy if sliced the wrong way. Thin slices — about ¼" thick — are ideal for this cut.
Store sliced ribs in an airtight container with any accumulated juices poured over the top — this keeps them moist. They'll hold in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat gently: a low oven (275°F) covered with foil for 10–15 minutes, or briefly in a skillet with a splash of beef broth. The microwave works in a pinch but you'll lose the crust. The compound butter and horseradish cream keep separately for up to a week refrigerated.