beef short ribs

Any thoughts or favorite preparations? I know I gotta go low and slow. I plan on using my Le Creuset....into the oven or stove top? Im planning on having them tomorrow or Tuesday.

Oh, John I have a great recipe is you are interested in going "French" rather than american-sauced. I'll see if I can find it...
Deb

Short Ribs Provençale
Epicurious | 2003
by Rick Rodgers
The Carefree Cook
yield: Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 pounds individual short ribs (not cross-cut flanken)
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hearty red wine, such as Zinfandel or Shiraz
1 3/4 cups beef stock, preferably homemade, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
One 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 bay leaf
8 ounces baby-cut carrots
1/2 cup Mediterranean black olives, such as Niçoise, pitted
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Preparation
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300°F.

2. Heat the oil in a large (at least 6-quart) Dutch oven or flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with the salt and pepper. In batches, without crowding, add the short ribs to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the ribs to a platter.

3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pot. Add the onion, chopped carrot, and celery to the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, herbes de Provence, and flour and stir until the garlic gives off its aroma, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the broth, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Return the short ribs, and any juices, to the pot. Add cold water as needed to barely reach the top of the ribs and bring to a boil over high heat.

4. Cover tightly, transfer to the oven, and bake, stirring occasionally to change the position of the ribs, until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 2 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes, add the baby carrots.

5. Transfer the short ribs to a deep serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Skim off the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid, and discard the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is reduced to a sauce consistency, about 10 minutes (the exact time depends on the size of the pot). Add the olives and cook to heat them through, about 3 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

6. Spoon the sauce with the carrots over the ribs, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve hot.

Pretty much what Deb said, except:

1) 290 degree oven, 3.5 - 4.5 hours, depending upon your choice of product... bone-in vs. boneless/butcher's net

2) Don't sweat the browning technique. Alton Brown made a very compelling case against the Paillard method in braising, for me at least. It adds flavor, but does little for texture. And you will have all the flavor you want in this dish.

3) I absolutely love herbs de provence! Such a cool aspect to Deb's recipe and I am sure her recipe absolutely sings because of this touch. Because you are a farmer and have almost, if not all, of the herbs fresh, place 2x the amount of herbs in the liquid, still on the stem. You can fish them out later this way! If you need lavender, PM me! My plants are in their second season and look phenonominal! I'm getting ready to top them today (although this product is going into a lemon-bitter I'm producing at work.) What I have learned recently about anise flavors is that 1 of 10 people like licorice as a primary component, yet as a tertiary flavor, everyone raves about the complexity and depth of recipes with their flavor profile, without being able to put their finger on the herbal components...

4) The puree of the braising ingredients is a touch that I love, whether you use the 'sauce' on the meat, for something else, or even freeze it (cryovaced) for later use. 100% utilization of product separates good from great. Nothing should ever be wasted, as it is an affront to nature's sacrifice...

(I'll shut up now)

I developed a short rib obsession this winter. Here's a link to the recipe I've been using.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... ata-240108

I HIGHLY recommend the gremolata--the acid and the freshness of the herbs offset the ribs beautifully.

I substitute Weisenberger white corn grits for the polenta. I have yet to meet anyone who can resist Cab-braised short ribs served over blue cheese grits.


PS Leftovers are the closest to a hangover cure I've ever found. . .

Im taking advantage of the rainy day and planning on hooking my short ribs later today.I going to go with Debs method with Stephens temp and time suggestion. OK, couple more questions...not all my fresh herbs are ready yet so going with dried. Im out of savory,(have every thing else dried)substitute with thyme and a pinch of mint in my herbes de provence mix? Second question...after the meat is done and I am putting together/reducing my sauce... go at it with the immersion blender or just leave the veggies the way they are?

Also any "serve with suggestions"?
Thanks

Strain out the veg - it will be mostly lifeless by then (you may be able to put some carrots on the plate, but forget about the celery). Then add some ruby port or some other hearty red wine and reduce, reduce, reduce. You could thicken it with cornstarch slurry if you're in a hurry.

accompaniments: blue cheese mashed yukons or crash potatoes, and asparagus!

John, when I've done short ribs in the past, I find it's best to just plan something else for dinner and put the whole dutch oven in the fridge overnight after it cools a bit. Then tomorrow, skim the congealed fat off the top and put the whole shebang back in the oven for about an hour at 325. This will ensure a much less "greasy" sauce, and also allow all those lovely herbs and veggies to marry up in a spectacular way.

Then tomorrow, skim the congealed fat off the top and put the whole shebang back in the oven for about an hour at 325. This will ensure a much less "greasy" sauce, and also allow all those lovely herbs and veggies to marry up in a spectacular way.

Love it. I always have trouble (or just suck at it) properly skimming anything when hot. I never thought of doing it this way. . .

I'm making burgoo for Derby Day. . .perhaps I'll keep this in mind. . .

The ribs turned out great. I had a chunk of Point Reyes blue that needed to be used up, so I added that to some mashed potatoes. We also had a small endive wedge type salad with some little breads from blue dog. I cooked the ribs with Coppola shiraz ( wine geeks flame away,its only ten bucks and I like it) this was nice with dinner as well. Thanks for the input.

IMG_2340.JPG

IMG_2340.JPG

They look great, John! And I think Coppola Shiraz is perfectly acceptable.

I know there's a rule of thumb out there that you should never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink (again, I don't think the Coppola is in that category), but I hope nobody thinks every restaurant kitchen in town is sloshing fantastic vintages into those saute pans. Maybe at the French Laundry they are, but restaurant sauce makers and saute cooks use a LOT of wine. Often from a box. *ducks*

Then tomorrow, skim the congealed fat off the top and put the whole shebang back in the oven for about an hour at 325. This will ensure a much less "greasy" sauce, and also allow all those lovely herbs and veggies to marry up in a spectacular way.

Love it. I always have trouble (or just suck at it) properly skimming anything when hot. I never thought of doing it this way. . .

I'm making burgoo for Derby Day. . .perhaps I'll keep this in mind. . .

Yup- what Marsha said. I've been doing that with any kind of stew/soupish thing for years ( of course Brian claims I remove all the special goodness with this method, but I feel a lot healthier about all the cooking I do this way.) I usually leave a few Tablespoons of the fat in for taste.

Deb

The ribs turned out great. I had a chunk of Point Reyes blue that needed to be used up, so I added that to some mashed potatoes. We also had a small endive wedge type salad with some little breads from blue dog. I cooked the ribs with Coppola shiraz ( wine geeks flame away,its only ten bucks and I like it) this was nice with dinner as well. Thanks for the input.

IMG_2340.JPG

IMG_2340.JPG

Glad they worked out for you, John! And love that Point Reyes!.... stop it now, you are making me hungry...

I also tried Deb's short rib recipe (yesterday) I used the remains of a bottle of Altois I had on hand. All the meat fell off the bones wonderfully tender. This was my first time using herbs of Provence and I love the subtle floral aspect of it. I was very pleased with the results. Thanks again for the recipe.
My question is this...
Is there a kitchen tool out there made for skimming fat from a pot without putting a hot pot in my fridge, cooling it , then taking off the congealed fat? I know some of the tricks like skimming the pot with a sliced potato,or pouring the contents into one of those cups with the pour spout at the bottom of the cup to pour off the non-fat fluids, but I was thinking a ladle with one flat side - to skim across the top of the pot - and a curved handle would be real handy. Is there such a tool?

Neat tools but still not what I had in mind. Most skimmers are for skimming solids out of hot oil or grease. What I'm looking for is something to skim fat off hot liquids.

Neat tools but still not what I had in mind. Most skimmers are for skimming solids out of hot oil or grease. What I'm looking for is something to skim fat off hot liquids.

When I'm short on time, I pour the braising liquid into a metal mixing bowl (or two) and put it in the freezer until the fat solidifies. Not superfast, but it works if you have a little downtime.