COLE’S COOKING A TO Z by Annette Gooch

Beef short ribs are thrifty, flavourful cuts from the end of the rib area (on the upper half of the steer) or the short plate (on the lower half).

Not to be confused with more expensive beef back ribs, the short ribs are excellent when properly browned and tenderised by cooking them in moist heat: braising them in a tightly lidded pot, baking them (uncovered) in liquid, or slow-simmering them in broth for a soup or stew.

Supermarket meat departments can generally supply either of two types of beef short ribs: English-style, which are longer because they’re cut parallel to the single bone running through each piece, or flanken-style, which are shorter (and meatier) and contain several cross-cut bones.

When purchasing beef short ribs, keep in mind the high proportion of bone to meat. A pound of ribs yields one or two servings.

Following thorough browning in the oven, these meaty little ribs bake in a tangy barbecue sauce for another hour or more. At the end of the baking time, they should be tender and delicious.BAKED BARBECUED SHORT RIBS3 to 4 pounds flanken-style beef short ribs (cut across the bones)

Barbecue Sauce (recipe below)

1 package (12 ounces) broad egg noodles

1 tablespoon poppy seed

[1/2] cup regular-strength beef or chicken broth

Chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using paper towels, pat short ribs dry and arrange them on a rack in an uncovered roasting pan. B

ake until browned (30 to 45 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare Barbecue Sauce. Remove ribs from oven; set aside.

Remove rack from roasting pan; carefully pour off and discard fat.

2. Place ribs directly on bottom of roasting pan (without replacing rack). Pour Barbecue Sauce over ribs.

Continue baking, uncovered, spooning sauce over meat occasionally, until ribs are very tender (1 to 1 [1/2] hours more).

3. Approximately 20 minutes before ribs are ready to be served, cook noodles in boiling salted water, according to package directions; drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, in a two-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat poppy seed until fragrant; stir in the [1/2] cup broth. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced slightly (about five minutes). Add well-drained noodles.

4. To serve, arrange ribs on a heated serving platter; keep warm. Pour off all fat from roasting pan.

Add about [1/2] cup water to sauce in pan; heat and stir until sauce is hot and bubbly. Spoon sauce over meat.

Surround with noodles. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve at once.

Serves six.BARBECUE SAUCE1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

[1/2] teaspoon salt

[1/4] teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

[1/2] cup ketchup

1 cup water

In a 1 [1/2]-quart saucepan, cook onion in olive or butter until soft. Stir in garlic, salt, chili powder, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and water. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

For additional culinary information and recipes from Cole’s Cooking A to Z, e-mail AtoZ[AT]culinarysocietyofamerica.com.