I made the beef short ribs according to Cowboy Kent Rollins recipe, which Grim recommended some posts ago. I had to use a slow cooker instead of a Dutch oven, and I went with an Argentinian Malbec instead of Merlot. Turned out well. It went for 5 hours on high, but could have used another hour, I think. It did in fact fall off the bone and tasted great, but at the thickest part was just a tad dry. Rollins suggests mashed potatoes as a side, and I second that. The thick broth makes a good gravy for it.
Ironically I was not able to do this recipe as planned. We don't have many choices for grocery stores out this way, and this week they didn't have short ribs. I'll have to wait until they decide to cut some.
ReplyDeleteI had to go to a couple of different stores myself to find them. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
ReplyDeleteWhen my slow-cooked meat dishes come out dry, I've learned that it's because I've cooked them too long. I've learned to trim 30 minutes to an hour off the cooking time, and been very happy with the results. For some reason, I got the idea when I was younger that low, slow, and long were a good approach to many meat dishes, but now I use the fork test. When it's getting tender to the fork, the heat goes off and I let the dish cool slowly and naturally. Seems to work, and it even improves the flavor a bit!
ReplyDeleteHey, Aggie, thanks for the tip! Do you leave the lid on while it cools?
ReplyDeleteDo you think they'd do better on low for longer time? I haven't done much with the slow cooker yet. The manual said 5 hours on high or 10 on low, and since I couldn't actually start until 11 a.m., I went with 5 hours.
So, if you are not actually burying them in the ground, you can do a lot with a thermometer. You need to get the deepest part of the ribs to 205-212 degrees, then you can remove it from the heat but keep it sealed up as it cools. The tough connective tissue breaks down above 200. As it sits, it will both break down that tissue and also re-absorb moisture from the braise. It’ll end up very tender.
ReplyDeleteYou don’t have to worry about it going over 212 as long as there’s plenty of braising liquid. The heat energy will be used by the state change from liquid to gas at that temperature, so it won’t burn as long as there’s plenty of liquid left.
ReplyDeleteThose look wonderful! I may have to see how to adapt the recipe to the Insta-Pot or oven. (Digging a hole in the back yard, or building a surface fire, have been vetoed by the Powers That Garden.)
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As of 5 PM, we along with 14 local counties are under a burn ban. Severe drought in what is usually an alpine rain forest. Strange year.
ReplyDeleteHey, Grim. That sounds very doable. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLR1, if you have a Dutch oven, Kent Rollins's recipe covers cooking them in the oven - just pre-heat to 325 and after getting everything in the Dutch oven, put that in the oven.
Here's that link:
https://kentrollins.com/wprm_print/25120
I am happy to report that these are really good as leftovers, too.
As of 5 PM, we along with 14 local counties are under a burn ban. Severe drought in what is usually an alpine rain forest. Strange year.
ReplyDeleteI live in Lower Alabama, reputed to be the wettest area in the Lower 48. We've had watering restrictions for a while now and no rain in the forecast. My husband is cheering everyone up by talking about a NatGeo article on what appears to have been a 40-year drought that may have been the downfall of the Lost Colony. :+)
Thanks for the tips about using a slow-cooker, how hot to get meat on the bone, making sure there's enough liquid, etc. I've been laying off to try a pot roast recipe I found on the Internet and all that info will be helpful for that. Somehow, in all my years of life, I've never really learned how to cook large hunks of meat.
You’re very welcome. I made some beef ribs in the smoker last week, and since I was running the smoker I went ahead and turned a whole Boston butt into pulled pork. If you get the temperature right and let it rest all the way cool, the whole thing can be shredded without tools. It’s so tender that your fingers will do all the work.
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