Oupa's beef short rib potjie in cast iron over fire with pap

Beef Short Ribs Recipe | Oupa’s Traditional Potjie with Red Wine & Pap Over Fire

Byjason@traveltrailstastes

Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Oupa's recipe from his cattle farm in Stella – bone-in beef short ribs first charred over flames for smokiness, then slow potjie with red wine, beef bone broth, bacon and whole root vegetables. Don't stir! Served with stywe pap.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings: 6
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Potjie: 2-2.5kg bone-in beef short ribs
  • 2 Tbsp tallow or oil
  • 2 Tbsp coriander salt/pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 onions chopped + 3 onions halved for layering
  • 200 g streaky bacon
  • 250 ml dry red wine Shiraz
  • 500 ml beef stock
  • 500 ml bone broth
  • 1 bouquet garni thyme/rosemary/parsley
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 4-5 potatoes halved
  • 6 carrots chunked
  • 1 Tbsp flour for dusting
  • 2 cups Pap: 2 cups maize meal
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp butter

Method
 

  1. Season ribs with coriander/salt/pepper. Braai ribs over hot coals 2-3 min/side until charred for smokiness.
  2. Heat tallow in potjie, fry 2 chopped onions + garlic + bacon until golden.
  3. Dust ribs lightly with flour + remaining coriander, add to potjie.
  4. Add wine, reduce until alcohol cooks off, add stock + broth + water + bouquet garni.
  5. Lid on, slow cook on medium coals 1.5 hours. DON’T STIR.
  6. Meanwhile make pap: Boil salted water, whisk in maize meal, reduce, cover 20-30 min, stir with butter until creamy.
  7. Peel/chunk veg. Layer potatoes, then carrots, then halved onions (cut side up) ON TOP without stirring.
  8. Lid on, cook 1 more hour until veg tender and sauce thick.
  9. Rest 5 min, serve ribs + veg over pap with glossy gravy.

Notes

Tallow was Oupa’s olive oil. Bone-in ribs = flavour. Layering whole veg is what makes it a potjie not a stew. Use kameeldoring for sear, blue wattle for long coals.

Check these other recipe methods out Pick Your Braai Starter and Ultimate Steakout Platter.

Why braai the short ribs before adding them to the potjie?

That quick 2-3 minute char over flames is the secret – it adds smokiness that you can’t get from just simmering. It’s Oupa’s method from the cattle farm and adds 100x more flavour to the gravy.

Why should I never stir a potjie?

A potjie is layered, not stirred like a stew. Stirring breaks the vegetables and clouds the gravy. Layer meat at bottom, then halved potatoes, carrots, then whole halved onions cut-side-up on top. Lid on, let it steam.

Can I use boneless short ribs?

Use bone-in for this recipe. The bones add collagen and flavour to the red wine and bone broth gravy and keep the meat from falling apart into shreds during the 3 hour slow cook.

What coals and heat do I need?

Sear over hot kameeldoring coals for the braai step, then move to medium blue wattle coals for the 2.5-3 hour slow cook. You want a gentle bubble, not a rapid boil. Low and slow.

What is the pap you serve with it?

Stywe pap – 2 cups maize meal to 4 cups salted water, whisked and steamed covered 20-30 minutes with butter. It soaks up the glossy red wine gravy. Recipe is inside the WPRM card.

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