You see I've been studying under the master, and I'm finally learning how to make beautiful things out of different cuts of beef. (In case you were wondering, the master is Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman.) Combine my budding education with the great new kitchen tool I got from my mother-in-law, and you have fine cuisine!
This is the kitchen tool:
It's my beautiful red cast iron dutch oven from Cooks. It hold five quarts, and is made from enameled cast iron. The beauty of that is that it cooks like cast iron (holds heat well, moves from stove to oven) but you can wash it with soap. (Note: never wash regular cast iron with soap!) And the colors are so pretty! Interested in buying one? Shop here. (Good news, I just noticed it's on sale for $59.99 now, down from $139.99.)
I've been using my pretty new dutch oven for braising meats, first pot roast, and now short ribs! I've learned from PW that you need to layer the flavors in the pot: first cook up some bacon, maybe, then some veggies, then brown the meat. Then you deglaze the pan with a little wine or stock. After that you add everything back in, throw in a few herbs for good measure, and stick it in the oven for a long time at a low temperature. And I mean a long time. Have you ever had a tough pot roast and assumed that you overcooked it? Me, too! But I learned that that's wrong! If you're cooking low and slow and your meat is tough, you haven't cooked it long enough. It has something to do with breaking down the connective tissues and all that. (Ain't I smart?)
Following PW's heartfelt instructions, I served the short ribs on a bed of Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta. Hubby also made up some mashed potatoes just in case the polenta was too frou-frou for him. Ultimately, the polenta was very tasty - definitely a keeper. But we felt like these short ribs were begging for the more manly potatoes. Give them a try and see what you think!
Any by the way, these short ribs weren't on sale, which meant that they cost me $20. Expensive, right? But then I realized that the five of us ate for $35 total that night, and the meal was definitely restaurant quality, if not better. So I think for an occasional treat, it's not too bad. But for now on, I'll keep an eye out for sales on short ribs.
All the recipes are below. For a step-by-step photo tutorial, see PW's cooking blogs: Braised Short Ribs & Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta.
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| I'm so sorry - this photo makes it look almost gross. Look at PW's site for good photos! |
Braised Short Ribs
Serves 4 (or 3 adults and 2 kids)
6 slices pancetta (or save yourself $4 and use 3 slices bacon), chopped
8 short ribs, bone-in
salt & pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced (1/2 onion would be fine)
3 carrots, diced
2 cups red wine (I used wine, but you can substitute broth)
2 cups beef broth
2 sprigs thyme (I keep some in my freezer, actually)
2 sprigs rosemary (I used a couple shakes of powdered rosemary, from Penzey's)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Set aside.
In a large (5 or 6 qt.) dutch oven, cook pancetta on medium heat until crisp. Remove to a plate.
Add olive oil and turn heat to high. Brown short ribs on all sides (for no more than 45 seconds per side). Do it in batches if necessary, to not crowd the pan. Remove to a plate. Reduce heat to medium and add onion and carrots. Cook and stir until they start to soften. Add wine and whisk to get up all the browned bits on the pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Add broth, 1 tsp. salt and some pepper. Return short ribs to the pan, nestling them in so all are mostly in the liquid. They should be almost covered with liquid. Add water if necessary. Return pancetta to the pan, and add herbs. Cover and place in oven. Cook for 2 hours. Reduce heat to 325 and cook 30-45 minutes more. Remove from the oven. Let sit for 20 minutes. Then skim off the fat which has risen to the top. Serve 2 short ribs to each person, over polenta or mashed potatoes. Spoon extra sauce over the top, if desired.
Creamy Polenta with Goat Cheese
Serves 8
4 1/2 cups water
1 cup cornmeal (I milled popcorn in my Nutrimill on the coarse setting)
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
4 oz. goat cheese, room temperature
Bring water to a boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal. Add salt. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes. (At high altitude I used slightly more water and cooked about 18 minutes.) Stir in butter and goat cheese.
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