Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
On a large plate, stir together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
Turn the short ribs in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil.
Working in batches, if necessary, cook the ribs, turning occasionally, until evenly brown, about 12 - 14 minutes.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet.
Over medium high-heat in the same skillet, add the garlic, green onions, ginger, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 3 minutes.
Pour in the stock and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and chile-garlic sauce...bring to a boil.
Transfer the ribs to a large Dutch oven and then add the sauce mixture.
Cover and cook until the ribs are very tender, about 2 hours.
When the short ribs are done, use a large spoon or ladle to skim as much as possible from the surface of the sauce.
Transfer the ribs to serving dishes or platter.
Spoon the sauce over the ribs.