The most well-documented failure on this website was the first time we cooked beef short ribs . Tough, sinewy, and ugly--a big fibrous brick of protein fastened onto a sled of white bone by tendons and mysterious pieces of grizzle. Short ribs are the beef equivalent to a Salman Rushdie novel: willfully difficult, at times indecent and gross, but after an extended period of histrionic outbursts and piquiant flavors, in which patience and goodwill is put to the test, rewarding. In short, frustrating. But worth the long road to get there.
The first time we cooked this dish, we bailed out early, cocky and confident that it was the short ribs that were going to adapt to our schedule and aesthetic interests. Naturally, they came out tough and dry, despite having been cooked underwater. There may be no dining or cooking experience more frustrating than having a piece of meat that's tough and dry, even when there's lots of sauce and broth to spare. Why isn't the meat tender? How can it be dry when it's sitting in a puddle? Why doesn’t that stupid liquid just
Granted, we didn’t play by the rules, ignoring time, science, and technique. In fact, one commenter named “CCC” casually mentioned that I “took that wonderfull
Short Takes On Short Ribs
Is a multi dimensional process, it appears you only cook on one level.” I emailed to ask if CCC might enlighten me about those other dimensions I was missing, but I haven’t heard back yet.
It's actually quite simple. The connective tissues in the ribs--cartilage, joints, etc., also called collagen--must hit 160-180 degrees before they dissolve into gelatin, when the meat is suddenly succulent and the gelatin holds onto the flavor in the cooking sauce, binding it with the meat. The only problem is that muscle fibers (the actual meat) lose their juices and dry out before then, between 140-150 degrees. So in principle, you either have rendered gelatin with dried-out meat, or suitably juicy meat cooked correctly with tough, chewy fibers running through it.
The answer is to braise with sufficient juices and liquid for the meat to stay moist, of course, but most importantly you must keep the ribs at the absolute collagen-melting minimum for an extended period of
How To Make Sherry Braised Beef Short Ribs « Meat Recipes :: Wonderhowto
Time. There’s a sweet spot where the meat doesn’t dry out, but the connective tissue also dissolves. If there's sufficient cooking liquid all around, it will become gelatinous while absorbing lots of cooking
After more research, I realized that the oven was by far the easiest way to control this. My first try was cooked on a stovetop at a simmer, but it was hard to keep the pot from getting too hot and the liquid bubbling, at which point the meat may be beyond saving. If you put it in the oven, you can dial it in to that exact temperature zone and feel confident that the meat is braising at the right temperature. Also, the word braise means “smoldering coals, ” referring to the way French peasants would pack a heavy pot with coals under, on top, and on all sides. Even though I’ve been known to go to great lengths to reproduce authenticity , I figured an oven would be a sufficient replacement for this technique.
, who recommended the use of tin foil tightly packed on top of the meat, and explained why you can tell the meat’s done cooking when it suddenly absorbs a great deal of the cooking liquid. The other thing I realized was that, since the meat would go through this process, it was safe to really get down to business on the initial browning, going for at least 15 minutes or so and getting a great crust on the meat to create flavor.
Pots And Pins, Creativity, Quilts, Diy Projects, Grandbabies, Parties
So when they went on sale at Fairway in Red Hook, I decided it was time to face my short ribs demons at last. Really, this is an easy recipe, and a forgiving technique, and I think now I’ve gone in the right direction. Give it the full cooking time in the oven, the right temperature, a very thorough browning, and you’ll end up with a successful batch of short ribs.
Serves 4, according to Mario. I had about a pound and a half of short ribs, five of them, so I'm not sure where Batali is able to locate these 1-pound short ribs he calls for in the recipe. What I had was more than enough for two people. So I basically guessed on the amounts for the rest of the ingredients. I don't think it's going to matter all that much.
First, you really need a heavy, heavy pot for this--a dutch oven is perfect, or unenameled castiron. Preheat the oven to 375. Salt and pepper the ribs generously, then heat the olive oil until just smoking and add them. Don’t crowd the pan, or else the steam released from the ribs will interfere with the
Thanksgiving Turkey Two Ways: Martha Stewart Vs. Mario Batali
Browning of their neighbors. Do it in two batches if necessary. Let them sit on a side for 4-5 minutes, then turn, so that a golden brown crust happens all over the place and there’s no red still visible.
Remove the ribs to a plate, and add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic, browning for five minutes or so. Add the remaining ingredients, and scrape the bottom of the pan vigorously with a wooden spoon to loosen up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
It was at this point that I realized, in my confusion and generally fretting over my short ribs, that not only was I missing the correct type of tomatoes (whole peeled that you crush yourself--I had pre-crushed, which are a lot darker and less bright-tasting), I'd added four times the necessary amount according to how many ribs I had. Dismayed, I removed most of the sauce and adjusted the herb quanties and such. It all turned out quite fine, and now I had a really flavorful pasta sauce in the fridge. Like I said, the flavors in this dish are so huge and dramatic, it's not all that important. There just needs to be enough liquid for the ribs to absorb while cooking.
Hour Short Rib
I added more sauce after taking this picture, so that should help you judge. I'd say the ribs should be half-covered in sauce. Cover the pot with tin foil, creating a kind of concave lid that dips down into the pot and serves as a low ceiling over the meat. According to Madelein Kamman, this is quite important, though Mario Batali doesn't deign to mention anything of the kind. Anyway, put it into the oven and cook for 2 hours, without peeking.
In the meantime, you'll make the gremolata, which is apparently a mixture of parsley, lemon zest, and horseradish. This becomes a wonderful little zippy topping that cuts through the rich heaviness of the dish.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what fresh horseradish looks like. I'll leave it at that. Peel it, grate into a bowl, and add finely chopped parsley with lemon zest.
Fleishigs Magazine Issue 004
When the 2 hours are up, peek in the pot. The ribs should actually, literally be separating from the big piece of bone. If not, make sure there's enough liquid and let them go another 20 minutes. With cooking times this long, you can improvise with huge brushstrokes. 20 minutes, 30 minutes, whatever you think.This is comfort food at its finest, tender short ribs rest on top of creamy, dreamy polenta…this is ultimate comfort food gone gourmet.
This is comfort food. This is fill your belly, warm your soul, take a nap, comfort food. And clearly…no one does comfort food as fancy as the French.
I fell in love with French food the first time that I made tomato concasse. Literally tomato concasse is the process of removing the skin and seeds off of a tomato, and then slowly sweating it until it became a delicate tomato sauce with shallots, garlic and wine. I walked up to the pot frequently and carefully, afraid to disrupt the subtle magic that was on going. The smell of butter and shallots permeated my nostrils immediately and forever imprinted itself on my culinary mind.
Lick My Ribs: Best Of The West Rib Cook Off, Reno Nv
My affair with French food had begun. And it was going to be a long one. One of those forever kind of affairs. French food would become my mistress…the kind that I secretly went to when I was in need for some comforting buttery lovin’.
I fell in love with delicious roasts, simple stews and creamy soups. My French chefs always cooked with so much passion and love. It was contagious. They say that doing what you love makes you happy, but watching people excel at doing what they love is true magic.
My chef’s did just that for me. Watching their coordinated hands repeat moves that they had done for so many years before in tiny, romantic Parisian kitchens for sweet romantic people who probably ate for hours and never ran out of charming things to talk about. Or at least that was how it replayed in my mind…and at that moment that’s all
0 komentar
Posting Komentar