Recipe: this slow-cooked beef with pickles is a DIY dinner party delight 

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Here’s an idea for your next lunch or dinner party: chef Stuart Ralston’s take on Korean bo ssam (or “wrapped”), in which meat, rice and an array of vegetables are packaged together in lettuce cups for eating. While it is traditionally prepared with pork belly or shoulder, here it’s made with beef short rib to delicious effect. “I cook it on a Sunday for my kids,” Stuart says. “You can bang it in the middle of the table with a few sides and sauces, and dig in.”

If serving this for guests, the pickles can be made in advance, and efforts on the day are minimal, so you won’t be chained to the hob with people over. Most importantly? This dish is almost stupidly tasty and good fun to eat.

Stuart Ralston’s short rib bo ssam

To serve four

House pickles

Short rib and glaze

To serve

1. Make your pickles the day before you plan to serve the beef. Add all the ingredients except for the vegetables to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour the pickling liquid over the vegetables and leave at room temperature for 24 hours, which will ensure they develop a nice, sharp taste.

2. Preheat the oven to 160C fan. Season the rib with salt and sear it in a pan on high heat until golden and crispy on all sides.

3. Place the rib in a deep, medium‑sized tray or pot with the garlic and thyme, then pour over 200g of the beef stock.

4. Cover with a lid and cook for three hours or so, until the meat is soft and falling apart. You may need to add a bit more stock if the rib needs more time in the oven.

5. When the beef is almost ready, put your rice on to cook according to package instructions, then start the glaze. Add the brown sugar, mirin, sherry vinegar, soy sauce and chilli flakes to a saucepan, as well as the leftover cooking liquid from the pot when the beef comes out. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid until it thickens and has a syrupy, shiny consistency (this should take 10 minutes or so). Taste and add a squeeze of lime juice if needed.

6. On a serving dish, pull the meat apart with two forks and brush the glaze all over.

7. Plate the sticky rice and lettuce leaves separately, then bring everything to the table. To eat, pile the elements together on lettuce cups.

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