Braising the Winter Blues Away

What do you do on a day where the temperature barely escapes the teens and the wind is howling hard enough to make the snow go sideways? For me, the answer is to stay inside and cook something that will take hours. Yesterday was such a day, and I decided to make one of my favorite winter dishes, Chinese 5 spice flavored braised shortribs. This dish is based on a very loose interpretation of the shortrib recipe in the Balthazar cookbook and is a real crowd pleaser...even when it's just for a crowd of two (with plenty of leftovers).

Raw Ingredients


Browned Shortribs


Mother of Gravy


Assemble and braise in oven for 3 - 4 hours.

Braising


Voilà - The Finished Product


Plate with some of the braised carrots and mashed potatoes and enjoy.

My Plate

Gorgeous, stevez. Looks even better now that I'm up to my neck in Swedish Julbord food.

Perfect-looking gravy and some incredible, meaty ribs. Nice sourcing and nice cooking!

Now, if I could only get my oven looking that clean...

Looks great. I on the other hand grilled steaks outside yesterday. Even the dogs didn't want to be out there (though they came out with me and the meat and tried to huddle beside the grill before I shooed them back inside)

Steve, your shortribs look wonderful! Very nice post.

Can I ask -- where did you get the nice looking shortribs? Care to say how much they were per pound? It seems so easy to find bad (not meaty) or overpriced shortribs. Not too easy to find good ones.

You have inspired me to make these later this week. If I remember, I think I did this once in the crockpot. Star anise, some kind of spicy hot ingredient -- I have to look up the recipe.

Thanks for the inspiration! It is certainly braising weather! --Joy

Joy wrote:Can I ask -- where did you get the nice looking shortribs? Care to say how much they were per pound? It seems so easy to find bad (not meaty) or overpriced shortribs.

Both the best quality and lowest priced shortribs that I have been able to find are at Chicago Meat, located across the street from Sol de Mexico. They always have a huge stack of them in their beef case and they are always big and meaty. Sorry, I don't remember price, but it was a good dollar cheaper than my next best source for shortribs, E & M.

P.S. If you resort to doing this in a crok pot, be sure to brown the shortribs in a hot skillet first before braising. IMO, that is key to developing both good flavor and a texture that is not mealy.

Chicago Meat
3021 N Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 777-7116

E & M
(Elegance in Meats)
3135 Dundee Rd.
Northbrook, IL
(847) 480-6328

Bridgestone wrote:Now, if I could only get my oven looking that clean...

Mine is still relatively new. It will learn.

Joy wrote:Can I ask -- where did you get the nice looking shortribs? Care to say how much they were per pound? It seems so easy to find bad (not meaty) or overpriced shortribs. Not too easy to find good ones.

I've bought shortribs twice recently at Super H-Mart. The first time, they were very similar to SteveZ's: meat piled high on the bones. The second time most of them were much slimmer, with 8 pounds of ribs yielding about 3 pounds of meat pulled from the bones after cooking (bone and connective tissue accounted for another 3, drained liquid close to the last 2). I think they were about $3.99. Look for the "LA Short Ribs" -- they sell a number of different cuts, where Gal Be usually has 1/8-1/4" thick slices, compared to the 1.5" square cross section of what Steve shows above.

I've seen them at Costco too, either boneless (which would be much less flavorful, I'm sure), or skinny bone-in, barely good for making soup.

Great pictorial post!

Coming from an Asian family, we always did our braising atop the stove. Have you found any differences in braising within the stove?

Looking at Wikipedia, it seems in or atop a stove still constitutes braising, but was curious as to whether one particular method affords anything different:
1) More cost-efficient?
2) No need to add liquid during the cooking process?
3) More even cooking?
4) Less "burning/stick to the bottom effect?"
5) More tender at shorter cook times?
6) More flavor penetration?

Again beautiful post - very Bridgestone-esque - particularly that opening ingredient shot.

stevez wrote:Plate with some of the braised carrots and mashed potatoes and enjoy.

Poetry, lovey edible poetry.

Jay K wrote:Looking at Wikipedia, it seems in or atop a stove still constitutes braising, but was curious as to whether one particular method affords anything different:
1) More cost-efficient?
2) No need to add liquid during the cooking process?
3) More even cooking?
4) Less "burning/stick to the bottom effect?"
5) More tender at shorter cook times?
6) More flavor penetration?

The more even heat of the oven probably gives that method an advantage in items #2 - 4 and, I suspect to a lesser degree, #6. I have no idea about the difference in fuel cost or cook time, because I always cook low and slow in the oven, once the meat is browned and the veggies are softened. I certainly feel that cooking in the oven means that I have to pay less attention to the pot, freeing me up for other tasks.

I'll second SteveZ on this too -- the oven means it's out of your way and isn't going to change. I get frustrated over continuously changing my temps on the stove as the liquid in the pot changes (evaporates, absorbs, etc.) I do a fair number of Indian dishes this way, both curries and pilafs.

I don't know that the flavor's any different, but it's certainly easier. One other advantage: you're less tempted to take the lid off the pot every five minutes.

SteveZ & JoelF, thanks for the insight; We just might try popping the Le Creuset in the oven for some slow cooking.

Now perhaps for a more egregious question: What about a pressure cooker?

Ever since I got my Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker, I've taken to using it to pressure cook my 5-spice beef shanks (up to 3 whole shanks at a time) for things such as niou rou mien at a fraction of the time versus the old traditional braising methods. I've also used it successfully to "braise" Chinese soy ducks and short ribs as well.

Am I losing out on on anything by cheating the "slow food" process?

It certainly makes for tender beef shank, short ribs and duck; The only mistake I've encountered is trying to make whole soy sauce chicken in the pressure cooker (the meat texture was horrible).

I've been thinking it might even work for the holy grail of Chinese slow cooking - giant sea cucumber... ooohh... or maybe shark fin (although I've never cooked it) which are notorious for requiring low and slow cooking times.

Does anybody use a pressure cooker? I've seen it often enough on Iron Chef; But I guess their time is at a premium.

Jay K wrote:Does anybody use a pressure cooker? I've seen it often enough on Iron Chef; But I guess their time is at a premium.

Yes. Indispensable for braising at high-altitude. Great results!

Bill/SFNM

HI,

I use my pressure canner to cook pot roasts from Costco in less than one hour. Those are pretty thick pieces, which take hours to cook in an oven.

Regards,

Beautiful stuff, Steve. Having had the pleasure of eating your shortribs in the past (though not this specific recipe), I'm certain they're even better tasting than they look in those great pictures.

It's nice to hear about the good quality at Chicago Meats, too. I've tried some of their other cuts of fresh meat and I've been very happy with them. In fact, the only item of theirs I haven't enjoyed was their fresh chorizo. I'm not sure if they source it or make it in-house. But again, the butts, bellies and briskets I've purchased there have been excellent, and the selection really is fabulous too.

=R=

Jay K wrote:
Am I losing out on on anything by cheating the "slow food" process?

Does anybody use a pressure cooker? I've seen it often enough on Iron Chef; But I guess their time is at a premium.

I've been using a pressure cooker for years and learned to use one from both my mom and paternal grandmother. My mom used one for chicken soup (cooking the chicken in 15 minutes to shred the meat and develop a broth) and also to make the base of her meat sauce for pasta (she used beef neck bones, cooked in the pressure cooker before adding the tomatoes, etc.) as well as beef stew (15 minutes). My grandmother used it for soup beans (20 minutes vs. 1+ hours), and cooking a cheap roast for the broth to use in her "homemade country noodles." I've seen Jacques Pepin use it for a veal roast but he didn't use a liquid, which always scared me too much to try to replicate.

The only difference I have witnessed is that if you overcook the meat, it has the same effect as boiled meat - tough not tender. It's best not to put that thing on "full blast" and the meat should be terrific in about 1/4 of the time. I use mine quite a bit in the winter for chili, stew, soups, and the like. I'm always looking for good recipes so if you have any...

Good luck...

I use a pressure cooker frequently and there are a few differences. Once you get used to them and learn it's strengths and weaknesses, it's a wonderful tool.

--Stock or broth made in the pressure cooker has a different flavor than slowly made stock. It's not neccessarily bad, but I prefer the traditional method. But if I simply need a quick batch for cooking purposes (adding to sauces, etc.) it's a luxury to be able to have homemade stock in less than 30 minutes that's far better than anything out of a can.

--You lose the ability to tweak and taste during the process. You can't skim fat, add a thickening slurry, adjust seasoning, or add liquid very easily. All of this has to wait until the end. For this reason, I generally don't prefer to make sauces or stews in the pressure cooker. I like the ability to constantly skim fat and watch what's going on. (That being said, there are certainly some excellent sauce or stew recipes designed for pressure cookers, I just don't have any in my repertoire that I like).

Beyond stock, the primary benefit I find in having a pressure cooker is the ability to economize. I can take a cheap cut of meat, some pantry ingredients and in under 30 minutes serve it over rice or cous cous with a veggie side and I have a very inexpensive, delicious weeknight meal.

Best,
Michael

Next Saturday I am planning on making braised beef shortribs for the first time. A recipe out of the Bon Appetite cookbook. It calls for six pounds of the shortribs however it only has a cooking time of a little over 2 hours.

It seems like that is a far shorter time than the Balthazar recipe used above. Should I plan ahead that it might take more time than the recipe calls for and just continue to check the tenderness after two hours?

Just wondering what could account for such a difference in cooking times.

brandon_w wrote:It seems like that is a far shorter time than the Balthazar recipe used above. Should I plan ahead that it might take more time than the recipe calls for and just continue to check the tenderness after two hours?

Yes.

The first time I ever made braised shortribs, I met the same problem (different recipe source, though).

Leave yourself way more time than you think you need. It's much easier to re-warm a braised dish that's finished than to speed one up that's not. (Also, if the dish has to spend a little time sitting, it'll do nothing but improve the flavor).

eatchicago wrote:

brandon_w wrote:It seems like that is a far shorter time than the Balthazar recipe used above. Should I plan ahead that it might take more time than the recipe calls for and just continue to check the tenderness after two hours?

Yes.

The first time I ever made braised shortribs, I met the same problem (different recipe source, though).

Leave yourself way more time than you think you need. It's much easier to re-warm a braised dish that's finished than to speed one up that's not. (Also, if the dish has to spend a little time sitting, it'll do nothing but improve the flavor).

I've made my version of the Balthazar recdipe several times now. I can safely say to expect the cooking time to be closer to 3 hours than 2...and maybe even a bit longer.

eatchicago wrote:

brandon_w wrote:It seems like that is a far shorter time than the Balthazar recipe used above. Should I plan ahead that it might take more time than the recipe calls for and just continue to check the tenderness after two hours?

Yes.

The first time I ever made braised shortribs, I met the same problem (different recipe source, though).

Leave yourself way more time than you think you need. It's much easier to re-warm a braised dish that's finished than to speed one up that's not. (Also, if the dish has to spend a little time sitting, it'll do nothing but improve the flavor).

Thanks. I'll plan on starting much earlier and then just re-heating before guests arrive.

brandon_w wrote:
Thanks. I'll plan on starting much earlier and then just re-heating before guests arrive.

Actually, shortribs can benefit from an overnight stay in the fridge! You know what they say, they're always better the next day. You might even think about cooking the shortribs the day before. I'd cook them to very slightly underdone and store them overnight. Then the next day, skim off the congealed fat and reheat for an hour or so in a slow oven.

stevez wrote:

brandon_w wrote:
Thanks. I'll plan on starting much earlier and then just re-heating before guests arrive.

Actually, shortribs can benefit from an overnight stay in the fridge! You know what they say, they're always better the next day. You might even think about cooking the shortribs the day before. I'd cook them to very slightly underdone and store them overnight. Then the next day, skim off the congealed fat and reheat for an hour or so in a slow oven.

Could they be stored in my dutch oven, or should they be transfered to some sort of plastic airtight container? I'm thinking plastic would probably be best.

brandon_w wrote:Could they be stored in my dutch oven, or should they be transfered to some sort of plastic airtight container? I'm thinking plastic would probably be best.

Store 'em right in the dutch oven with the cover on.

Thanks.

I'll probably be taking pictures and will post them if things work out.

brandon_w wrote:Thanks.

I'll probably be taking pictures and will post them if things work out.

Brandon,

I'd suggest post either way, learning from others mistakes* is just as interesting, if not more, than drool worthy gastroporn pics.

Happy New Year,
Gary

*Though I'm sure it will come out great

I made braised brisket for Christmas Eve dinner (using the Cook's Illustrated recipe). It was absolutely perfect! Easy to make and fabulous to eat.

Did I take pictures? No....because I keep forgetting to share with the board....but we ate it ALL!

Maybe I will with the flourless chocolate cake I made for New Year's Eve.

I picked up my shortribs from the grocery store today, as the Copps butcher was the only one I could find in town that would custom cut them for me. However I now notice that they are not cut quite the same as the ones stevez's post. I however was not specific in how to cut them, and the butchers didn't seem like they had much experience cutting them into anything but small chunks. I really don't know of any decent butchers in this entire city. These are going to be tender and delicious and falling off the bone right? So the cut wont matter that much, hopefully.

Anyhow, they are a bit long for my dutch oven so I will have to use my electric pressure cooker. Someday I will need to get a big oval dutch oven like the one stevez has.

brandon_w wrote:I picked up my shortribs from the grocery store today, as the Copps butcher was the only one I could find in town that would custom cut them for me. However I now notice that they are not cut quite the same as the ones stevez's post. I however was not specific in how to cut them, and the butchers didn't seem like they had much experience cutting them into anything but small chunks.

Cutting them crossways across the bones like the ones I had is sometimes called a flanken cut. It comes from the Jewish name for a braised short rib dish. Generally, you get a cross section of three bones in each "rib" when cut in this style.

The only place I have ever seen them cut in the direction of the length of the bone was at The Smokestack in Kansas City. They call it Crown Prime Tip.

The Smokestack Crown Prime Tip


Either way, they should cook up real nice. Be sure to take pictures.

Well the shortrib cooking process has been started. This afternoon I did the majority of the cooking. Tomorrow I will just need to add in some baby carrots and olives to the sauce and meat and heat in the oven until cooked. However the ribs are so tender at this point (off the bone) that I might leave the meat out for most of the cooking time of the carrots and throw it in for the last few minutes just to re-heat it.

I'm not sure I was ready for the meat to be falling off the bones at this point, but it is tender and the flavor is good (which is the important part). I cooked the six pounds of meat and bone along with all of the other ingredients in the pressure cooker for 80 minutes, maybe I could have gone with less time, 70 minutes? Who knows, it's not like they had pressure cooker instructions, and I couldn't take the top off and peak, live and learn. I'm just glad the meat taste good at this point, nice wine/earthy flavor. I let the pressure reduce naturally and now everything is cooling in a 9x13 pyrex dish (the only thing I had that could hold everything) and that will work for oven heating tomorrow.

On Sunday (hopefully) I'll get up pictures and a review of how everything went over with my wife and parents. I'll also be making some potstickers for an appetizer, mashed potatoes to serve with the beef, green beans with walnuts and lemon, and dark chocolate cake with a chocolate mousse and toasted coconut. Busy day tomorrow.