07.09.06
Oh, YUM! Boneless beef short ribs
With my kid plate, I look for pieces of meat (fish, fowl) that will fit the little protein compartment. Usually the small steaks (chuck steaks or eye of round) are sold two to a package. I cook them using the quick & easy method, and then eat one as a steak and the other the next day cut into little pieces in a salad, using the plate to measure the carb (say, orzo) and veggie (e.g., steamed broccoli) parts of the salad.
I got some nice pieces of boneless chuck short ribs, and last night I put them in a 200º oven for slow cooking overnight. Since I didn’t really want a stew—I’m going to eat them as a meat portion—I didn’t use (e.g.) tomatoes. But I still wanted some acid, so I went with lemon juice.
I got the skillet hot, sprinkled it with salt, and browned the beef on both sides. (This was the stainless skillet, but there was no sticking of any consequence.) I removed the beef and put into the skillet some chopped shallots, a few minced cloves of garlic, and a little olive oil. I sautéed those for a while, then deglazed the pan with red wine, scraping up the brown bits.
The beef went back into the pan, along with the juice of a lemon, a handful of small Crimini mushrooms, about a tablespoon of horseradish, a good splash of Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper.
On with the lid and into the oven overnight. Twelve hours later, it’s divine—a miracle!
UPDATE: Tonight (07.15.06) I’ve made it again—indeed, I’ve made it a couple of times since this first essay—and the recipe is much as before, except that I included some dried thyme in the mix, which I crushed by rolling it between my palms. — Later: Nah, better without the thyme, I think. Too much going on with the thyme added.
UPDATE 2: Another approach to boneless short ribs.
UPDATE 3: Yet another recipe.
pageycooks said,
19 July 2006 at 11:16 am
These sound absolutely delicious. I love braised short ribs and these sound quite simple to make. The local market has short ribs on sale this week – I will definitely use your technique!
leisureguy said,
19 July 2006 at 11:31 am
You can then refrigerate the dish during the day (since it comes out of the oven in the morning if you cook it overnight, as I did): the fat will harden and you can remove it before reheating. The horseradish adds a nice, mysterious flavor…
Lucy Liberatore said,
9 September 2006 at 7:33 pm
I had been searching through dozens of recipes for Braised Short Ribs and found this site describing how you cooked yours overnight in a low 200 degree oven for 12 hours. The only ingredient I added to your recipe was a 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes and 2 Tbls. tomato paste. (I omitted the lemon) I served mine along with coarse mashed potatoes and a Romaine leaf salad. Oh my dear, the ribs were the most tender and scrumptious I have ever tasted. I definitely give it a 10 on a scale of 1-10 Whoever is reading this you must try this recipe. Lucy
LeisureGuy said,
9 September 2006 at 8:18 pm
Yeah, tomatoes would work well. The idea is to have some acid to help tenderize the meat. You’ll note that this is similar to the slow-cooked beef things.