Beef Short Ribs Braised in Tomato Sauce

We love short ribs at our house. One of C's favorite dishes is Short Ribs, so much so that we had them for Christmas dinner last year.  I make them in the crockpot, I make them into empanadas, they are always greeted with chants of "more meat" from Miss F.  When I saw this recipe on The Way the Cookie Crumbles, I was struck by the idea of shredding the meat and adding back to the braising liquid.  So genius!  And so many possibilities...  These were just fantastic.  The only bad thing was how badly I wanted to eat them during the three hour cook time.  Seriously, the house smelled so good.

Beef Short Ribs Braised in Tomato Sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 to 2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
salt
1 ounce pancetta, diced
½ onion, diced small
2 carrots, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup porcini mushrooms
½ teaspoon oregano
½ cup red wine
1 (14.5 ounce) cans whole tomatoes with their juice

Season the beef ribs with salt. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it flows like water when the pot is tilted. Add the beef ribs and cook, for 2-3 minutes per side, until richly browned on all sides. Remove the ribs from the pot. Lower the heat to medium and add the pancetta to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to the plate with the short ribs. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pot. Add the onions and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned on the edges, 6-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, mushrooms, and oregano; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the wine; scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, beef ribs, pancetta, and 1 teaspoon salt; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the cover, increase the heat to medium-low, and simmer for another hour, until the beef is tender.

Transfer the ribs to a plate; shred the meat. Meanwhile, if the sauce is too thin, increase the heat to medium-high and simmer until it reaches the desired thickness. Stir the meat back into the sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding salt if necessary, and serve over polenta.

Adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

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Short Rib Empanadas

My dear friend Neon turned me onto making empanadas with puff pastry, it is so tasty and so yummy. The first time she made them was at a wine pairing party she held. Too bad I was pregnant at the time (and hiding it from most friends), but I got to enjoy tons of amazing food, including her empanadas. She had made them with pot roast, so I figured it would be easy enough to do with short ribs. These are great and Miss F went mad for them, even as leftovers.

Short Rib Empanadas
makes 18

2 boneless short ribs
½ small white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
¼ cup water
½ cup merlot
½ jalapeno, minced

2 sheets of prepackaged puff pastry

Avocado~Cilantro Sauce for dipping, recipe follows

Cut each short rib in half and place in the crockpot. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno. Pour the water and merlot over. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until meat is tender enough to shred with a fork. Shred the meat. Cool with the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Defrost the puff pastry. Roll out on a floured board. Cut circles with a 6” cutter. Place ¼ cup of the meat on the center of each circle. Brush the edge with water. Fold in half, crimping the edge with a fork to seal. Place the empanadas on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Serve with Avocado-Cilantro Sauce.

Avocado~Cilantro Sauce

½ cup sour cream
1 small avocado, cut into chunks
juice from one lime
¼ cup of cilantro
¼ of a jalapeno, chopped

In a mini-chop, add the cilantro and jalapeno. Pulse to mince. Add sour cram, avocado and lime juice. Pulse to combine.

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Asian Pork Ribs

Once again, the crockpot has let me down. On the other hand, my father thought that this dish was a real winner...so you never know. The sauce looked so wonderful when I first tossed the ribs in it. The issue was that it got too water logged in the crockpot with all the moisture from the ribs. I will make this again for sure, but I will just grill the ribs with the wonderful sauce.

I think I just need to realize that the crock pot is for warming queso...






Asian Pork Ribs

1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 lbs country-style pork ribs
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Place onions in bottom of slow cooker. Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, vinegar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in large bowl. Add ribs and turn to coat. Place ribs on top of onions in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on Low about 5 to 6 hours. (Timing always depends on your slow cooker. Each cooks a little differently.) Plate the ribs. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

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Barbecue Beef Ribs and Grilled Corn

Beef ribs were on sale this week, so I decided to try them for the first time. They were tasty, but I much prefer pork ribs. C did all the hard work, tending to the fire on the Weber. I just made the sauce and soaked the corn. They were very flavorful, just not as tender as the pork variety I am used to. My barbecue sauce recipe is really never the same twice. It is always a combination of what I have in the pantry and what I am in the mood for.







Barebecue Beef Ribs

1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Combine all spices together. Pat the dry rub all over the ribs. Cook over a low fire (indirect heat on the grill) for 3.5 to 4 hours. Baste with barbecue sauce for the last 30 minutes of cooking

Barbecue Sauce

1 1/2 cups ketchup
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestire sauce
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
several dashes of hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, until sauce reaches desired consistency.

Grilled Corn

Remove all but one layer of the corn husk. Soak the corn in water for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. Grill over hot coals for 20 to 30 minutes. Enjoy!

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