Braised Short Ribs

Short ribs on a bed of polenta and mashed potatoes with pan juices in lieu of gravy

Growing up, we used to have pot roast regularly (at least twice a month).  I know, I know, this post is about short ribs, not pot roast.

I only mention pot roast because I think of this recipe as pot roast for grown ups.  If you don't have short ribs available you can easily substitute a good chuck roast in place of the short ribs and the taste will be nearly identical.  I have done that on many occasions, based on what I have in the freezer, or what's on sale, when the mood strikes me.  In the accompanying pictures, you will see some with short ribs and some with chuck roast.  Again, the reason for that is to drive home the point that they can be used interchangeably (at least in this recipe).  

So, let me state upfront that this is NOT your mother's (or in my case, my grandfather's) short ribs/pot roast.  Well, not unless they cooked with plenty of wine (which was unheard of in my family).  The flavor is very rich and complex.

The comment I hear most often when I make this for company is, "I can't believe short ribs/pot roast can taste this good!  I never really liked it before."

You can serve this with the pan juices or turn them into gravy.  I've done both, but we're a gravy kind of household, so that's what we generally do here.  Directions for how to make the gravy are listed below as well.

I'll let you be the judge.  Give it a try and see what you think.

Short ribs

Chuck roast

Ingredients

• 5 lb short ribs (or chuck roast)
• two onions
• 6-8 carrots
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 4 sprigs thyme
• flour (enough to cover the short ribs/roast, about a half cup)
• salt & pepper 
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 1-2 cups wine (depending upon taste - I always use the larger amount)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (for browning beef)
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 pkg Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix

       Gravy (optional  - Well, unless you're in my family, then it's a necessity.)

• 1 stick butter (4 oz)
• 1/2 cup flour (4 oz)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 275
2. Salt and pepper all sides of short ribs/roast
   
   

   

   
   

3. Thoroughly cover all sides of short ribs/roast with flour
   
   

   

   
   

4. Peel and cut two onions in half
5. Peel third onion and cut into slices
6. Tie rosemary and thyme into bundle and set aside
   
   

   

   I also have started wrapping the herbs in cheesecloth simply to make it easier to remove later

   
   
7. Put olive oil in pan with medium heat, brown the onion on both sides, remove to a plate
   
   

   

   
   

8. Brown the carrots (not cooking thoroughly, just browning) and remove to plate
   
   

   

   
   

9. Cook the garlic  - it only takes 30-60 seconds
   
   

   

   
   

10. Add more oil if necessary, then brown all sides of short ribs/roast and remove
    
    

    

    Chuck roast browned

    

    Short ribs browned

    
    
    
    
    
11. Add wine to pan to deglaze. Cook until reduced by half
    
    

    

    
    

12. Add broth to pan
13. Stir in ONE package onion soup mix
14. Add short ribs/roast back to pan, followed by garlic, carrots and onion
15. Sprinkle second package of onion soup mix over top of short ribs/roast, then lay sliced onions on top. If it all won’t fit, just put the rest in the broth (With a roast, I find that it generally will fit on top. With short ribs, I just stir the onion soup mix into the broth since they are usually submerged.)
16. Add tied bundle of rosemary and thyme to broth
17. Add bay leaves to broth
    
    

    

    
    

18. Cover and put in 275 degree oven for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours
19. Don’t open the lid to check until the 3 1/2 hour mark. It may be done or it may need a bit more time, but when done you will literally be able to be shred with a fork and it's very tender.
20. The carrots that you started cooking with the roast will be VERY done by the time the roast is ready.  If you'd like additional carrots done a bit less (or simply a few more carrots), you can add them along with potatoes at the 2 1/2 hour mark if desired.
21. If you want gravy, remove the roast (and potatoes/carrots if you used them) and put under foil to keep warm.  Remove the rosemary/thyme bundle and the bay leaves.
    
    The next steps are specifically for gravy.  If you don't want to make gravy you are finished at this point and can skip the additional steps.

1. There are two different ways to do the next step.  I’ll list both (first is much simpler but the second has a much better, more complex flavor)
1. This step requires a simple flour/water mixture (about one third flour, two thirds water)
   
   Bring remaining broth to a boil and slowly add a flour/water mixture , stirring constantly until it reaches the desired thickness
   
   OR
2. This step requires one stick butter and one half cup flour.
   
   Heat remaining broth but don’t bring to a boil yet.  While doing that, melt a stick of butter and then add a half cup (4 oz) of flour to make a roux.
   
   
   
   
   Mix together well and keep stirring until it starts to turn light brown/tan color.  When it changes color, take a ladle full of the hot broth and put it in the roux. It will make lots of noise and steam so be careful.  Stir until it thickens up again. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Continue adding a ladle of broth at a time until it thins just a bit. I generally use about four or five ladles.  Once the broth and roux have been mixed together, add the mixture back into the heated broth.  Heat the broth to boiling and add a flour/water mixture (or cornstarch/water if you prefer) to the broth slowly until it reaches the thickness you’d like. 
   
   
   
   If you want it a deeper brown, add a bit of Kitchen Bouquet (or Gravy Master) until it’s the color you want.
2. Serve and enjoy!

This is the chuck roast with potatoes and gravy. See top picture for short ribs.

Grandma's Sloppy Joe's

(and a vegetarian version)

Sloppy joe with homemade bread and butter pickles

My grandmother wasn't much of a cook.

Actually, that may not be fair.  Because my grandfather did the vast majority of the cooking in the house, she didn't cook much so I don't really know how good she was.

Something she DID make for me fairly frequently was sloppy joes.  To this day, I love them but haven't made them in years because my wife isn't fond of them (she's not a big fan of beef).  I do remember my grandmother telling me that my grandfather made them this way in his restaurant, so I guess part of the credit goes to him also.

My wife was out this evening so I took the opportunity to make them.  One of our friends was here for dinner and loved them.  She's not a huge sloppy joe fan either, so that bodes well for how good they are.

I decided I needed to write them up, if for no other reason than so it will be easier for me to remember how to make them next time!

Admittedly, sloppy joes are NOT difficult to make and no one will mistake them for something requiring serious culinary skills to prepare, but they ARE really good and they're great comfort food!

Ingredients

• 1 lb hamburger (for vegetarian version, use Morningstar Farms crumbles or whatever brand you prefer)
• 1 10.5 oz can Campbell's vegetable beef soup (straight out of can, do NOT add water) or Campbell's vegetarian vegetable soup instead
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1/3 cup yellow mustard
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 package buns, toasted (potato buns are perfect for this)

Directions

1. Brown hamburger (or vegetarian crumbles) and diced onions
2. Add soup (direct from can, do NOT add water), catsup, mustard and chili powder and mix well
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer
4. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld
5. Serve on toasted bun (try it with yellow mustard and bread and butter pickles - it may not sound it, but it's a great combination!)

Grandpa's Swiss Steak

Grandpa's Swiss Steak, mashed potatoes, homemade dinner rolls
and green beans - it's what's for dinner!

I haven't posted in over a year, and since my wife's been after me to write this up for a while now I thought it was a good place to start again.

It feels appropriate somehow that my first post in such a long time is a recipe that came from my grandfather.  I learned how to cook from watching both my mother and my grandfather, but it was my grandfather that taught me from a very young age that it was not only okay, but actually a good thing for a guy to be comfortable in the kitchen - for that I will be forever grateful.

This one's for you, Grandpa.

My grandfather owned a restaurant in downtown Kansas City, KS.  I don't remember it because it closed somewhere around the time I was born.  From everything I've been told it was basically a diner type of restaurant that served plenty of good, down-home cooking.

This is one of his recipes.  He wrote it down for me when I got married 30 years ago and asked him for some of his recipes so I'd be able to try to make some of my favorite foods here in Connecticut.

I've made small tweaks here and there but not many - and the basic steps and the idea are all from him.

So enjoy - and if you like it, say a thank you to my grandfather!

Ingredients laid out and ready

Ingredients

• 2 lb round steak or pork tenderloin (sliced)*
• 4 tbsp flour for dredging steak
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 1 c vegetable oil (You need enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/4 inch.  This should take about 1/2 the oil.  The rest will be used to add more as needed to keep the same level of oil in the pan after browning each batch of meat.) 
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium green pepper, diced (optional)
• 1 28 oz can tomato sauce
• 4 tbsp flour
• 3 c beef broth, water or a combination of both (Beef broth will give a richer flavor but water works just as well.)
• 2 tbsp Mac Brothers Beef Rub (Chili powder will work also.)

* When my grandfather made this, he used round steak and pounded it with a meat hammer to tenderize it.  I have made it that way but I have also used cubed steak which has the added benefit of already being tenderized.  My wife isn't fond of beef so lately I've been making it with pork instead.

Directions

1. Pound round steak or pork tenderloin until it's tender. (If you use cube steak you can skip this step.  When I use pork, I ask the butcher if they can run it through the "cubing" machine or meat tenderizer.  It does a better job than I can by hand and it's REALLY easy when you can get them to do it!).  

   

   Tenderized and seasoned steak (or pork in this case)

2. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. (I prefer to use Lawry's salt but any will do.)



Dredge in flour

3. Dredge in flour.



Place dredged steak/pork in pan with 1/4 in deep oil

4. Fill skillet to about 1/4 inch deep with oil and place on medium heat.



Brown both sides in hot oil

5. Brown both sides in hot oil.      



Place browned steak/pork in casserole dish

6. Remove browned steak/pork from pan and place in casserole dish.  Repeat until all steak is cooked, adding additional oil if necessary.  



Put onions/celery/peppers in pan with oil



Sauté until soft

7. When all meat has been browned, put the diced onions and celery (and green peppers if you are using them) in the pan where you browned the meat and sauté them until soft.  This should take about 5-8 minutes.
8. At this point you want about 1/2 cup of oil in the pan.  Either pour off any extra or add a bit more to have this amount in the pan.  



Flour added to vegetable mixture

9. Add 1/2 cup flour to the pan (the onion/celery/green pepper mixture should stay in the pan also).



Tomato sauce just starting to be added to flour mixture

10. Mix together well and cook over medium heat for two minutes, stirring constantly 
11. Add the tomato sauce a bit at a time, stirring constantly



After adding broth/water to flour/tomato sauce mixture.
End result should be a thick tomato based gravy.

12. Start adding the broth (or water) a small amount at a time while stirring it in.  The flour/vegetable mixture will absorb the liquid.  Continue adding liquid and stirring.  It should take most of the liquid.  You want it to end up the thickness of gravy.



Gravy mixture poured over the meat

13. Add Mac Brothers Beef Rub (or chili powder).  My grandfather's recipe said that you wanted to add just enough to "color it good".  You can actually use as much or as little seasoning as you'd like to achieve the flavor you want (more will generally make it hotter).
14. Pour the gravy/vegetable mixture over the meat in the casserole dish.  If you have a smaller casserole dish, you can put the meat in layers, just be certain to cover each layer with the gravy mixture.



Finished and out of the oven

15. Bake covered for about an hour at 350 degrees.
16. Enjoy!

Mashed potatoes with tomato and vegetable gravy

I usually cook baked or mashed potatoes with it - both seem to go equally well covered with the gravy.

Finished product!!

Cheesy BBQ Bacon Meatballs

Meatballs fresh from the oven

What caught your eye?  Cheesy? BBQ? Bacon? Meatballs?

Any one of these things could have grabbed me, but all of them together? Even if I hadn't written this, I'd HAVE to try them!

We had an excess of hamburger sitting around and were tired of burgers (we've had them on the grill several times lately and though I love them, sometimes you CAN have too much of a good thing) so I was trying to come up with something else to make. There's the obligatory meatloaf (which I love) but that's the "normal" fallback I use with hamburger...next idea...

My wife suggested meatballs. She's mostly a vegetarian and even when she ate meat she was never a beef fan so I figured if she'd at least think about trying them, I'd make some.

Meatballs are one of those things that we rarely had growing up in the Midwest - though I think it was mainly because my dad didn't care much for them. I've made them a couple of times but it's never been a real part of my repertoire - until now. Since my son LOVED them and my vegetarian, beef-hating wife even decided to try them and liked them I think it's a necessity that it become a staple around here.

I think that after trying them, you'll feel the same way!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef (or use half beef, half pork; 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork, 1/3 veal - whatever you prefer)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked crispy and broken into small pieces
• 1 small onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried ground rosemary
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/4 cup milk (I use whole milk - you can use whatever kind you wish)
• 1/2 cup Mac Brothers Warm & Smoky BBQ sauce (or whatever BBQ sauce you prefer)
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (grated or cut VERY small - you can also use cheddar or whatever type of cheese you prefer)
• 4 slices day old bread cut into small pieces
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Pour olive oil in a skillet and add the onions over medium low heat. Cook until they are just starting to brown (about five or six minutes)
3. Add garlic and ginger and cook until they start getting fragrant (you don't want the garlic to burn - about 30 seconds to one minute)
4. Remove skillet from the stove and let cool.
5. Place the beef into a mixing bowl, and add the other ingredients: bacon, garlic powder, oregano, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, milk, BBQ sauce, cheese, bread, eggs, salt and pepper
6. Mix well
   

   

   All ingredients, ready to be mixed

7. When cool, add the onions, garlic and ginger and mix with everything else until evenly blended

   

   Mixed and ready to be made into meatballs

8. Using your hands, form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place onto a baking sheet

   

   Ready to go in the oven

9. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes

   

   
   

You can eat these as is, slice them up with a bit of BBQ sauce or do what we did and make meatball subs.  If you haven't made them before, it's VERY simple.  

1. Slice open a grinder roll*, leaving it attached at the back
2. Cut meatballs in half and arrange on the roll
3. If you're feeling adventurous and have the time, saute some onions to put on the sliced meatballs
4. Spoon plenty of your favorite marinara sauce over the meatballs
5. Cover the meatballs with provolone cheese (or mozzarella or whatever you like)

   

   Grinder rolls stuffed with meatballs, sauce and cheese - ready for the oven!

6. Put in a preheated 400 degree oven for about ten minutes or under the broiler for about two minutes

   

   Fresh and hot!

7. Enjoy!!!

*If you can't find grinder rolls a hot dog bun will do, but really isn't big enough (for non-New Englanders, a grinder is the same thing as a hoagie or submarine sandwich, so in other words, it needs to be a big roll!).

Dinner is served!

(Oven) Smoked BBQ Brisket

Now that summer is finally here I'm able to do one of my favorite types of cooking - smoking meats. To me, nothing says summer quite like the smell of wood burning over an open fire and meat slowing cooking and absorbing the flavor of the smoke. When I smoke something, it's most often a brisket. If you've never had any kind of brisket other than the corned beef type for St. Paddy's Day, this is very different.  You actually start with a brisket that has NOT been "corned" (which is basically a type of brining using a similar brine to that used to make pickles). It's simply a cut of meat like any other that you would get from your grocery store that you then use your smoker to turn into a very tender slice of heaven.

A smoked brisket directly from my smoker

But I didn't always have a smoker (or a grill) to cook my brisket (and I know not everyone does whether it's because they wouldn't use one, don't want one, live in an apartment and can't have one or any of a thousand other reasons). When I was young, my mother always made this for us - and we didn't have a smoker then either. There IS a way to get a similar, smoked flavor to your brisket without smoking it - and that's what I'm here to help you with.  I'll tell you upfront that it's not going to have the same type of look to it that you get from cooking in a smoker - no "bark" (the cooked exterior) and no "smoke ring" but you DO get a smoked flavor and that's the most important part.

Oven smoked BBQ brisket!

My family has been giving out this same basic recipe for years - I've made a few alterations here and there but it's basically the same as it was when I was a kid (and that's more years than I care to count).

If you decide to try it, let me know what you think!

Watch how to make it here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvX-_rzkh1k

Ingredients

4 - 8 pound beef brisket*
Beef rub**
3.5 oz bottle Wright's Liquid Smoke***
1 tbsp celery seeds
2 tbsp olive oil

*There are different cuts of brisket: the flat, the point and a whole brisket which is sometimes called a packer brisket (a whole or packer brisket is both the flat and point together, simply not separated. Also, I mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again - you do NOT want a corned beef brisket).

I typically use either a whole or flat cut. Beef prices have risen so much that when I bought a brisket last week, whole briskets were $3.39/lb and flats were $7.59/lb.  For that, you can get a whole brisket that weighs twice as much for the same amount as a flat.  I bought an 11 pounder, removed the point and was left with seven pounds for the flat and paid less that I would have for a five pound flat.  I then had four pounds of point to turn into burnt ends (arguably the best part of a brisket) for far less than the equivalent flat cut.

**There are LOTS of different kinds of rubs and just as many opinions as to which one is best. I suggest either finding a rub recipe you think you'd like and trying that or simply buying one at the store (you'll have a lot to choose from). Here is a link to one that I've tried before and really like, but again, feel free to use whatever YOU prefer. When we were younger, we didn't use a rub at all - we simply used the celery seed on top of the brisket along with the liquid smoke and that works as well!

Liquid smoke

***Liquid smoke is one of those things that a lot of people seem to either have never heard of or are kind of confused about. Exactly what is in it? Well, if you buy Wright's, the answer is water and hickory smoke concentrate.  It is actually made from hickory (or applewood or mesquite depending on the type you buy) wood that is burned inside a chamber. As the smoke rises it is captured in a condenser and it cools. The cooled smoke forms water droplets (condensation). These droplets are then collected and filtered.  That's it. No other additives (which is one of the reasons I prefer the Wright's brand - there are other brands and they typically have additives).

Directions

This needs to sit overnight, so start the DAY BEFORE you want to cook the brisket:

1. Take the brisket out and put on a cutting board or in a large pan

   

   This was an 11 lb whole brisket. The point was removed,
   leaving a 7 lb flat cut that went in the oven

2. Thoroughly rub one side of the brisket with one tbsp olive oil

   

   Rub thoroughly with olive oil

3. Generously sprinkle the rub over the entire side of the brisket and rub it into the meat

   

   I only put the rub on one half so you could see the difference.
   You want to put the rub on the entire thing though, not just one half.

4. Rub the rub thoroughly into the meat (sounds a bit redundant, doesn't it?  You get the idea though)

   

   After being rubbed into the meat - again, do the entire thing, not just half

5. Flip the brisket over and repeat the process on the second side, making certain to get the sides and ends coated with the rub as well

   

   The second side after being rubbed with oil.
   Notice this side looks very different - no fat.

6. Put the brisket into a large pan, fat side up, and sprinkle the celery seeds over the top
7. Pour the entire bottle of liquid smoke into the pan, then cover the pan (aluminum foil works fine) and put in the refrigerator overnight

   

   With the celery seeds and liquid smoke added

When ready to cook:

1. Preheat oven to 225
2. If you have a meat thermometer, place it in the thickest part of the brisket
3. Put the brisket (covered) in the oven
4. Bake until the internal temperature is at least 195. How long this takes is going to depend on the size of your brisket (the seven pound one I just cooked took about five hours).

   

   Cook to an internal temperature of 195.  If you cook it over that you won't hurt anything.
   My mother actually prefers to cook it a bit longer and prefers it that way

5. When ready, remove the cover, flip it over (the fatty side should now be down) and coat with your favorite BBQ sauce

   

   Coated with BBQ sauce

6. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes (cover removed)

   

   Out of the oven and ready to sit for a few minutes before slicing

7. Remove from the oven and let sit for fifteen minutes
8. Slice thin (very important to slice AGAINST the grain not with the grain), pour on your favorite sauce and enjoy!

Ready to eat!!