Korean Short Ribs with Celeraic Puree

On a recent stay at Sanctuary in Scottsdale, my associate and I had the pleasure of dining at Elements.  I don't normally order red meat, but for some reason the Korean Style Short Ribs with Celeraic Puree and Chinese Broccoli compelled me. The experience was beyond. The flavors were numerous yet harmonized perfectly. I determined that evening that I must try this at home. I researched all the flavors that go into Korean style short ribs and went for it. In the end, the flavors were virtually identical to what I remembered at Elements.  I hosted a dinner party for 6 and was thrilled by my guests' reaction to the meal and the presentation. What follows is the result of my efforts.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
Serves 4

Ribs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Korean pear or Asian pear, grated with juices
1/2 small white onion, sliced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (or hot chile sauce)
1 12-ounce can lemon-lime soda 
4 to 5 pounds short ribs, cut into thirds
Cilantro chopped and spiral sliced raw beet for garnish
Celeraic Puree (Recipe follows)
Chinese Broccoli (Recipe follows)
Picked Peppers and Onions (Recipe follows)

Method
In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients and whisk to combine into a marinade. Place the ribs with sauce in a large Zip-Loc. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Place ribs and marinade in a 5-quart slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours. May be cooked in a cast iron large dutch oven. Or cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours.

Once tender, remove the ribs from the marinade and skim off the fat.  Remove to a sauce pan and simmer to about 1 1/2 cups of sauce.  Add in 2 tbs of Hoisin and a simmer until thickened.

Plate the ribs over a serving of celeriac puree and Chinese broccoli. Top the ribs with the sauce and place a spoon full of the pickled peppers/onions in the center and garnish with fresh topped cilantro and a beet spiral for color.

Celeraic Puree
2 heads celery root
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

Cut off the top and bottom of the roots and cut into chunks. Place in a large pot of salted water, bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the pot. add the butter, cream and garlic. Using an inversion blender, puree to a fine consistency with no lumps. Keep warm.

Chinese Broccoli
1 bunch Chinese Broccoli
Kosher Salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Place the broccoli in the boiling water and braise for about 5 minutes until the thickest part of the stems are fork tender. Drain in a colander. 

Pickled Peppers and Onions
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
5 sweet peppers seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup sugar

In a small bowl, mix the sugar with vinegar and mirin until dissolved. Place the thinly sliced onions and peppers in a sealable container and pour in the vinegar/sugar mixture. Let sit in the refrigerator for an hour or more until softened slightly.