Ribs are by far one of my favorite special occasion meals. I live for the days of visiting family in the Carolina's, sitting in the sun and digging my teeth into ribs that are about to fall off the bone (or cooking ribs in the oven when the temperature is below 0). Barbecue ribs are fine and dandy, but sometimes it's nice to try a new twist on an old favorite. That's what we did here with these beef short ribs, but don't for a second think they'll be lacking in flavor.

As we continue to incorporate flavors from around the world into foods that we already know and love, this is one that we definitely had to try. Shichimi Togarashi is a Japanese spice blend that could once only be found at festivals and shrine sites in Japan. Luckily, today you can find this blend in the United States with all of the traditional ingredients. Shichimi Togarashi is also called Japanese 7 spices and translates to "seven flavor chili pepper" (and we love anything that has to do with chile peppers!).

We used Shichimi Togarashi on our ribs because it has a bit of a quick hitting heat that fades quickly but is also complex and savory with hints of citrus and earthiness. This gives the ribs a unique, almost magical flavor profile. Our Shichimi Togarashi is hand blended from black pepper, cayenne, orange zest, garlic, poppy seed, black sesame and nori (Japanese seaweed).