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Well, we ate the short ribs last night. They were delicious. However, if I ever make short ribs again, I should probably make the trek to Eastern Market to buy the beautiful ones that someone posted a pic of earlier. The Safeway set shrank down to almost nothing, and while the meat I could get my teeth on was deliciously, shreddedly tender, it was way too much work to get to said meat.

Or, you could go to the Super Save Market on Mt. Pleasant Street. Their ribs turned out to be very meaty and were only $2.99.
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If anyone else has tried the sauerbraten recipe in the new Gourmet cookbook, I'd love to hear your opinion of it. I made it without juniper berries and without the gingersnaps in the sauce at the end. But I found the meat surprisingly one-dimensional for something that had been soaking in red wine and vinegar for two and a half days before braising. Perhaps it needed a fuller bodied wine. Also, though the recipe states that the roast can marinate up to four days, mine was on the brink of being mushy. I'd hate to think what four days would do to it.

For that matter, can anyone point me to a really fabulous sauerbraten?

Best part of the meal was the (homemade) spaetzle.

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If anyone else has tried the sauerbraten recipe in the new Gourmet cookbook, I'd love to hear your opinion of it.  I made it without juniper berries and without the gingersnaps in the sauce at the end.  But I found the meat surprisingly one-dimensional for something that had been soaking in red wine and vinegar for two and a half days before braising.  Perhaps it needed a fuller bodied wine.  Also, though the recipe states that the roast can marinate up to four days, mine was on the brink of being mushy.  I'd hate to think what four days would do to it.

For that matter, can anyone point me to a really fabulous sauerbraten?

Best part of the meal was the (homemade) spaetzle.

For some reason, I never considered sauerbraten as something that braised (and by braising I mean low heat for more than a couple of hours). And I also thought you marinated it in vinegar. But then again, it's been years since I have made it and I recall not being satisfied with my last attempt.

eta: Oops, just looked at a recipe, low heat and long time. What cut of meat did you use?

Edited by Jacques Gastreaux
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For some reason, I never considered sauerbraten as something that braised (and by braising I mean low heat for more than a couple of hours).  And I also thought you marinated it in vinegar.  But then again, it's been years since I have made it and I recall not being satisfied with my last attempt.

eta:  Oops, just looked at a recipe, low heat and long time.  What cut of meat did you use?

boneless beef chuck roast.

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So if I am reading your post correctly, other than eliminating the juniper berries and gingersnaps, you followed the recipe exactly as written. You found the meat mushy and the flavor one-dimensional.

Having never made this dish, I can only analyze the recipe as it is written in the book and by your report to suggest what may have "gone wrong."

The cooked wine marinade is fairly straightforward for a typical beef braise, except for the vinegar, which might make it more acidic than straight wine, unless the added water dilutes the acidity so that it is the same ph as the wine. A higher concentration of acid in the marinade might have contributed to the mushiness of the meat, as acidic marinades do break down the meat. The ultimate goal of the dish is the sweet-sour flavor spectrum, however, and the vinegar is an important element, as evidenced by more vinegar being added to the sauce in the final step.

I think that the 300 degrees called for in the recipe, for 2 to 2 1/2 hours is too high, and your oven may be hotter than that. I find that the texture and flavor of braised meat is better at lower temp. I'd also add celery, fresh parsley and fresh thyme to the braising pot.

Finally, the sauce, which is the strained braising liquid thickened with a cooked roux, with added raisins, sugar, vinegar and gingersnaps. Where in the first step, the marinade, you may not have lost much by eliminating the juniper berries (although I really like the flavor, and I would have used more than the two called for in the recipe), I think you left out a significant source of flavor by eliminating the gingersnaps. Clearly, they are being used as a source for spice flavor -- primarily ginger, cinnamon and molasses, since there is clove in the marinade-- and sweetness. If you don't have gingersnaps, you should add ginger, cinnamon and a little molasses, honey or more sugar to the sauce to calibrate the sweetness/sourness to taste. With those additions, the flavor will be much more complex. I'd also reduce the braising liquid to concentrate the flavor before adding it to the roux. If you don't like gingersnaps because you don't like ginger, you probably wouldn't like any sauerbraten, since that is a central flavor element in the dish.

Hope that helps.

Edited by zoramargolis
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So if I am reading your post correctly, other than eliminating the juniper berries and gingersnaps, you followed the recipe exactly as written. You found the meat mushy and the flavor one-dimensional. <snip>

Thanks for the analysis. I only left the gingersnaps out because I ate one while preparing the sauce, and they were the worst gingersnaps ever. Eeeee-yuck. I didn't want to ruin the sauce with them. But I should've added some of the spices - good thinking. I think the sweet-sour balance was just fine, anyway - it was that darn elusive depth-of-flavor thing again. The dish tasted fine - it just didn't taste... enough. Needed umami. It was like the beefyness had been leached out of the meat.

On a side note, I'm almost as nuts about ginger as I am about Meyer lemon. :) Think I'll go eat a few ginger candies whilst brewing a cup o' ginger tea.

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it was that darn elusive depth-of-flavor thing again.  The dish tasted fine - it just didn't taste... enough.  Needed umami.  It was like the beefyness had been leached out of the meat.

Sounds like maybe too much liquid/meat. It's always best to braise in a pot that isn't lots bigger than the piece of meat. If there is a lot of liquid--reduce, reduce to concentrate the flavor.

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So my copy of All About Braising arrived last night (yessss!), and I am eager to try, well, just about everything in it.

Anyone got favorites from that book? Saw some love on eGullet for the Beef Redang and the Caribbean Pork Shoulder, as well as that short-ribs-n-stout recipe. Others you would recommend (or recommend against)?

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I started making the Epicurious Short Ribs in Ancho and Coffee yesterday morning. I follwed all the steps exept I threw it all in the CrockPot instead of the oven. I let it cook on slow for at least 8-10 hours. Stuck it in the fridge and defatted it this morning. Heated it back up in the Crockpot on high this evening. Even though I had added a bit more of the chipotle than it called for, the spice was very mellow. I seriously undersalted it though. It was very good.

I just got my waterbath for sous vide, I am going to try that next!

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So my copy of All About Braising arrived last night (yessss!), and I am eager to try, well, just about everything in it.

Anyone got favorites from that book? Saw some love on eGullet for the Beef Redang and the Caribbean Pork Shoulder, as well as that short-ribs-n-stout recipe. Others you would recommend (or recommend against)?

I've only had my copy for a couple of weeks. I just made the short ribs in Porter (not stout, that's the wrong flavor, says the book) this past Sunday, but it is still resting in the fridge for tomorrow night. We've been hooked on the maple/rosemary flavor combination since we first tried Trader Joe's Maple Rosemary marinade, which is sadly no longer available. I'm looking forward to trying the ribs tomorrow night.

The sausage and plums recipe caught my eye, but plums aren't that great right now, so I'll wait.

Oh, I did the chicken with pears and rosemary last week, and that was outstanding! Just that my chicken had no tail, so it was hard to tie it to keep the pears in the cavity. But we worked it out.

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I've only had my copy for a couple of weeks.  I just made the short ribs in Porter (not stout, that's the wrong flavor, says the book) this past Sunday, but it is still resting in the fridge for tomorrow night.  We've been hooked on the maple/rosemary flavor combination since we first tried Trader Joe's Maple Rosemary marinade, which is sadly no longer available.  I'm looking forward to trying the ribs tomorrow night.

The sausage and plums recipe caught my eye, but plums aren't that great right now, so I'll wait.

Oh, I did the chicken with pears and rosemary last week, and that was outstanding!  Just that my chicken had no tail, so it was hard to tie it to keep the pears in the cavity.  But we worked it out.

There is a whole thread on Molly Stevens' Braising book on eGullet. I seem to recall that some of our esteemed Rockwellians contributed some thoughts on this particular recipe. (BTW do yourselves a favor and skip the Vietnamese Scallops. Don't know what's wrong with this recipe, but it is Bleech, IMHO.)
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I took a little bit of everything from the thread and made short ribs tonight. I bought more than I would need for a full meal so that I could taste along the way.

I picked up bone-in from Canales yesterday. I think next time I will get the boneless. They are more expensive but you aren't paying for the bone which are sometimes the bulk of the rib. I seared the meat in shmaltz (chicken fat) in a couple of batches and then browned not enough shallots and three cloves of smashed garlic. Once the meat was back in I poured in enough beef broth to cover about 3/4 of the way up. At first I was worried it was too much liquid, but now there isn't a whole lot left. I added some tomato and anchovy paste ala Al.

I brought the mixture to a boil, covered, and put it in a 250 oven. 45 minutes in I checked it and the liquid wasn't simmering so I raised the oven to 275. 1 1/2 hours into the braise I had my first rib. Good flavor but not there yet. I realized that I forgot the balsamic vinegar so I added that in.

An hour later I pulled it out. There was a lot of fat but not a whole lot of liquid left. The next rib's texture was great. Meltingly soft and tender without falling apart. I could taste the vinegar but it needed to be added sooner. Now the whole concoction is out on my balcony cooling down.

I am going to make every attempt I can not to go out and eat more. I really do want to see that they are better the next day. I envision emulsifing the shallots and onion into the sauce. Polenta would be the perfect cushion for my endeavor. We'll see how long I last.

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I took a little bit of everything from the thread and made short ribs tonight.  I bought more than I would need for a full meal so that I could taste along the way. 

I picked up bone-in from Canales yesterday.  I think next time I will get the boneless.  They are more expensive but you aren't paying for the bone which are sometimes the bulk of the rib.  I seared the meat in shmaltz (chicken fat) in a couple of batches and then browned not enough shallots and three cloves of smashed garlic.  Once the meat was back in I poured in enough beef broth to cover about 3/4 of the way up.  At first I was worried it was too much liquid, but now there isn't a whole lot left.  I added some tomato and anchovy paste ala Al.

I brought the mixture to a boil, covered, and put it in a 250 oven.  45 minutes in I checked it and the liquid wasn't simmering so I raised the oven to 275.  1 1/2 hours into the braise I had my first rib.  Good flavor but not there yet.  I realized that I forgot the balsamic vinegar so I added that in.

An hour later I pulled it out.  There was a lot of fat but not a whole lot of liquid left.  The next rib's texture was great.  Meltingly soft and tender without falling apart.  I could taste the vinegar but it needed to be added sooner.  Now the whole concoction is out on my balcony cooling down. 

I am going to make every attempt I can not to go out and eat more.  I really do want to see that they are better the next day.  I envision emulsifing the shallots and onion into the sauce.  Polenta would be the perfect cushion for my endeavor.  We'll see how long I last.

Next time you make it, pour off most of the fat after you've browned the meat, and deglaze the pan with the vinegar and some wine, if you haven't marinated the meat in wine before cooking. If you have, add the marinade and reduce a bit before putting the meat back in and adding broth. You didn't mention herbs--thyme, parsley and bay leaf?

Also, I'd stick with the bone-in ribs. The bone and connective tissue add a lot of flavor and texture to the dish. You can remove the bone before serving. I tie the ribs with twine or dental floss in a couple of places to keep the bone from falling off while it cooks because I like to serve it on the bone.

Be sure to degrease the cooking liquid completely so you don't get an unpleasant greasy mouthfeel and taste to your sauce. Polenta sounds perfect with it.

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Instead of browning the ribs in a pot, I used the recommended method from Cooks' Illustrated and just put the ribs in the oven at 450 for about 45 minutes while I did other stuff. This really DOES work very well and makes much less of a mess, although I didn't tie the ribs with twine to keep the bones in place. They started separating from the meat just after this. And I agree with zora that the bones add an awful lot to the flavor of the dish. I wouldn't leave them out.

Cooling the whole thing in the fridge, or outdoors at this time of year, really helps in solidifying the fat and makes it much easier to get rid of it. Once the meat is cooked, you really don't need the fat anymore.

On the other hand, it is really hard to screw up any decent recipe for short ribs. :lol:

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Made a knockout osso buco (see Valentine's Day thread) dish last night with this recipe:

Osso Buco with Mushrooms

The mushroom gravy was amazing-- I used hen of the woods, chanterelles, and regular ol' button mushrooms. Technically, this wasn't braising as you do not brown the meat first and you don't partially submerge in liquid while cooking, but the result was the same-- absolutely meltingly tender.

I also made a really cool salad. First I roasted a few golden beets by trimming them, and then wrapping them all in a piece of foil with s&p and evoo. Meanwhile I made a basic vinaigrette that was intentionally a little heavy on the vinegar (I used banyuls). When the beets were finished cooking, I put them in the fridge (still in the foil) to cool. Once cooled off, I unwrapped them, removed the beets, and poured the leftover beet-infused evoo into the dressing. I peeled and sliced the beets, spread them around two plates, and then topped them each with a head of baby red-leaf lettuce. I added a few toasted hazelnuts and poured on some of the beet vinaigrette. Awesome, if I do say so my damn self! :lol:

Edited by Al Dente
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Nope, no garlic. And I wouldn't add it.

I'd like to try this recipe based on your recommendation, of course! I notice that almost every review on the recipe page has done one or two alterations...such as browning the meat first. Just curious-- what, if anything, would you do differently if you were to make it again? (And how many onions did you use, as I'm not certain what makes up 1 1/2 lbs) Did you take any pics?

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I'd like to try this recipe based on your recommendation, of course! I notice that almost every review on the recipe page has done one or two alterations...such as browning the meat first. Just curious-- what, if anything, would you do differently if you were to make it again? (And how many onions did you use, as I'm not certain what makes up 1 1/2 lbs) Did you take any pics?

Sorry, no pics. The only variation I used was different mushrooms and I just kinda winged it on the quantities. If I recall correctly, I only used about 3/4 of a large onion as I was only making it for 2-- well, perhaps I really made it for 3 and just ate a lot. I would suggest NOT browning the meat first. Normally I would have browned it, but the recipe doesn't require it. I think it's probably because you're working with veal and browning it might take away from its more delicate flavor? Just guessing here. The meat does brown nicely enough from the roasting. You're looking for enough onion and celery to just make a little bed (maybe 1/2 inch thick on the bottom of the pot) for the veal to sit atop while cooking.

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Yesterday I slow cooked a pot roast in my crock pot. The meat was a beautiful chuck roast from the Alexandria Whole Foods. On Monday night I browned the meat in my cast iron pan and then deglazed the pan with the mushroom stock that I was planning on using as a braising liquid. After I poured off the liquid I added some dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce, bay and pepper corns and mixed it well. Every thing was prepped the night before (with the exception of the potatoes). The next morning I placed half the vegetables on the bottom of the pan (onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes), then the meat, and the rest of the vegetables on top. I added the liquid, covered the pot, turned the heat to low, and left for work.

When we came home from work, the house smelled lovely. I really feel bad that my lovely Black Lab had to suffer through the wonderful smells of a pot roast cooking all day and knowing she could not get to it. The meat was perfectly done, and the vegetables were soft, but not mushy. I pulled out the meat and all of the vegetables, strained the cooking liquid and defatted it. To make the gravy, I made a roux to thicken it. I find that a roux based gravy is far more pleasing than one thickened with a cornstarch slurry.

This is the first time I have made a pot roast using mushroom stock. If I can reproduce the mushroom stock, I will continue to use it in the future.

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Steve:

When I make pot roast, I usually discard the vegatables that were cooked with the meat. They will be mushy and all of the flavor extracted into the cooking liquid. My practice is to separately cook carrots and pearl onions to serve with the pot roast. In the past, I have served the pot roast with mashed potatoes but recently, I have been using polenta with parmesan cheese instead.

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Steve:

When I make pot roast, I usually discard the vegatables that were cooked with the meat.  They will be mushy and all of the flavor extracted into the cooking liquid.  My practice is to separately cook carrots and pearl onions to serve with the pot roast.  In the past, I have served the pot roast with mashed potatoes but recently, I have been using polenta with parmesan cheese instead.

We did discard the vegetables that were under the beef, those that were placed on top of the beef were not mushy or flavorless as they were not in the cooking liquid. I do love the idea of polenta with it, I will consider that next time.
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I made short ribs on Sunday night and served them with polenta. Polenta --YES (high five here)! I had some leftover oven roasted shiitake and oyster mushrooms and caramelized pearl onions, and I added them to the sauce. We're talking quick trip to heaven here. Interestingly, when I was assembling the braise, I shuffled around in my freezer for awhile, but couldn't find the bag with the homemade veal stock cubes. So I added a couple of teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon brand beef base, which I had in the fridge. Hell-o! The sauce, which I have made many times with stock added to the cooked wine marinade, was richer and had significantly more depth of flavor this time. Note to self--Better Than Bouillon is also better than stock in a braise--save the stock cubes for pan reduction sauces.

In case anyone wants to get some BTB beef base (they also make chicken and vegetable), they sell it at Rodman's. They used to have it at Trader Joe's, but I don't recall seeing it there recently.

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I made short ribs on Sunday night and served them with polenta. Polenta --YES (high five here)! I had some leftover oven roasted shiitake and oyster mushrooms and caramelized pearl onions, and I added them to the sauce. We're talking quick trip to heaven here. Interestingly, when I was assembling the braise, I shuffled around in my freezer for awhile, but couldn't find the bag with the homemade veal stock cubes. So I added a couple of teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon brand beef base, which I had in the fridge. Hell-o! The sauce, which I have made many times with stock added to the cooked wine marinade, was richer and had significantly more depth of flavor this time. Note to self--Better Than Bouillon is also better than stock in a braise--save the stock cubes for pan reduction sauces.

In case anyone wants to get some BTB beef base (they also make chicken and vegetable), they sell it at Rodman's. They used to have it at Trader Joe's, but I don't recall seeing it there recently.

Your short ribs sound great!

I bought my jar of BTB at Whole Foods, and I've seen it there since.

Edited by ScotteeM
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Yesterday I slow cooked a pot roast in my crock pot. 

When we came home from work, the house smelled lovely.  I really feel bad that my lovely Black Lab had to suffer through the wonderful smells of a pot roast cooking all day and knowing she could not get to it.  The meat was perfectly done, and the vegetables were soft, but not mushy.  I pulled out the meat and all of the vegetables, strained the cooking liquid and defatted it.  To make the gravy, I made a roux to thicken it.  I find that a roux based gravy is far more pleasing than one thickened with a cornstarch slurry.

This is the first time I have made a pot roast using mushroom stock.  If I can reproduce the mushroom stock, I will continue to use it in the future.

Did you give her a taste when it was done???
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Better Than Bouillon brand beef base

I recently got turned on to BTB and I'm surprised at how good it is. Some might scoff at using something like this, but I hate losing my precious homemade stocks to soups or stews where it will be a background to other flavors. I won't say I think it matches homemade, but BTB works really well in these cases. It's damn salty, though (even though they market it as being less salty), so I find I have to be careful with it. I've only used the chicken, though, not the others.

If you happen to be near a Weis, they sell this stuff cheap (I think I got it on sale for like $3.00 a jar)

Edited by see jay saddle her
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On Monday night I browned the meat in my cast iron pan and then deglazed the pan with the mushroom stock that I was planning on using as a braising liquid. After I poured off the liquid I added some dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce, bay and pepper corns and mixed it well.

I'm thinking about trying this treatment on a small chuck roast tomorrow, although I'll need to do it stovetop. Any suggestions on ingredient quantities?

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I'm thinking about trying this treatment on a small chuck roast tomorrow, although I'll need to do it stovetop. Any suggestions on ingredient quantities?

I am not much for measuring, but I can tell you approximately what I used. For 3 ½ pounds of meat I used four cups of stock (mushroom), a tablespoon each of dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, about ten pepper corns, and two bay leaves. For vegetables I used one and a half onions (the only reason for the half is because it was in the refrigerator already), one very large carrot (more like two regular sized carrots), two stalks of celery, and two whole garlic cloves. There were also five potatoes, but they were kept on top of the meat not in the liquid.
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I am not much for measuring, but I can tell you approximately what I used. For 3 ½ pounds of meat I used four cups of stock (mushroom), a tablespoon each of dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, about ten pepper corns, and two bay leaves. 

Put this together on Saturday and it was a huge hit. Had to settle for veggie broth instead of mushroom, but still delicious. About three hours, part stovetop and part in the oven at around 300. Added in some parsnips, carrots, turnips, and fingerling potatoes for the last twenty minutes, and boiled them a bit while I was slicing the roast. Well, less "slicing" and more "lightly pressing on with a knife so as to make it fall apart."

Chuck roast is my new favorite braising cut. This had SO much more flavor than a bottom round roast I did a couple weeks ago, it's like a totally different meat. The various cookbooks I consulted seemed to agree, too.

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Chuck roast is my new favorite braising cut. This had SO much more flavor than a bottom round roast I did a couple weeks ago, it's like a totally different meat.

Bottom round makes an ok oven roast--can be very tasty when done medium rare and sliced thin. It is not a pot roasting cut--not enough internal fat or connective tissue. For braising or stewing, you want tough cuts: chuck, brisket, shank, short ribs. Live and learn. We've all had important cooking lessons from these kinds of experiences.

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Put this together on Saturday and it was a huge hit. Had to settle for veggie broth instead of mushroom, but still delicious. About three hours, part stovetop and part in the oven at around 300. Added in some parsnips, carrots, turnips, and fingerling potatoes for the last twenty minutes, and boiled them a bit while I was slicing the roast. Well, less "slicing" and more "lightly pressing on with a knife so as to make it fall apart."

Chuck roast is my new favorite braising cut. This had SO much more flavor than a bottom round roast I did a couple weeks ago, it's like a totally different meat. The various cookbooks I consulted seemed to agree, too.

Jael:

300 degrees is a tad too high on the oven temp. You should consider backing it down 50-70 degrees (depeinding on how accurate your oven thermostat is) and cooking for an extra hour or two.

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Last night's recipe -

3 lbs bone in short ribs

Brown them and remove from pot. Drain some of the fat

Brown a handful of minced shallot and 5 cloves garlic sliced.

Deglaze with a couple of good glugs of balsamic.

Add beef broth to about 2/3 way up meat.

Toss in four chopped dried chile negras (aka Chilaca or Pesilla) had been soaking to rehydrate.

Throw in some cumin and a little pepper.

Add a couple of anchovy filets and a good dollop of tomato paste.

Mix up.

Bring to a boil.

Slap the lid on and into a 260 degree oven (for some reason the perfect braising temp for my oven -- YMMV).

3 or so hours later remove meat from pot. Strain and defat sauce.

Reduce by half while boiling some carrot and cauliflower and pearl onion in it.

Plate ribs. plate veggies, cover all with beefy goodness.

Not bad for my first go round with this cut. Need to adjust my sauce seasoning for maybe a hotter chile.

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300 degrees is a tad too high on the oven temp.  You should consider backing it down 50-70 degrees (depeinding on how accurate your oven thermostat is) and cooking for an extra hour or two.

It may have ended up lower than that for some time -- I checked it periodically to see how vigorous the boil was, and turned it down if there was excess vigor. But I'll start it lower next time.

Zora, I think my next beef braising attempt will be brisket, I hear good things.

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It may have ended up lower than that for some time -- I checked it periodically to see how vigorous the boil was, and turned it down if there was excess vigor. But I'll start it lower next time.

Zora, I think my next beef braising attempt will be brisket, I hear good things.

Get yourself a nice digital thermometer, like this one, to better keep an eye on the braising temp. I usually keep mine around 180-190F.

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I want to try your pot roast recipe. We are all pot roast fans around here.

Re: dry mustard -- how do you add the dry mustard? And how much?

Re: mushroom stock. You can buy aseptic boxes of mushroom stock -- IIRC, Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Wegman's. Ever tried these?

Re: cut of beef. We get very good results with chuck blade roast, which is not always easy to find. Weird cut of meat, hard to carve, great flavor.

I like to brown in the oven in a roasting pan -- and then braise in the oven as well. 225. Le Creuset.

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Re: dry mustard -- how do you add the dry mustard?  And how much?

The dry mustard is blended with the liquid before it is added to the pan.
Re: mushroom stock.  You can buy aseptic boxes of mushroom stock -- IIRC, Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Wegman's.  Ever tried these?

No, it is so easy to make my own.
I like to brown in the oven in a roasting pan -- and then braise in the oven as well.  225.    Le Creuset.

If you are using a Le Creuset why not brown the meat on the stove top and then place the pot into the oven? You will have better control, and get a much richer color. In describing how I made my pot roast I mentioned using a Crock Pot, this is only done because it makes it easier to cook while I am at work. I generally prefer a Le Creuset as well.
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If you are using a Le Creuset why not brown the meat on the stove top and then place the pot into the oven? You will have better control, and get a much richer color. In describing how I made my pot roast I mentioned using a Crock Pot, this is only done because it makes it easier to cook while I am at work. I generally prefer a Le Creuset as well.

I brown the meat in the oven because I am lazy and this way I don't have to turn it. It browns evenly all over. Waste of an extra pan but I line it with aluminum foil. 450 degrees, you don't have to pre-heat.

I use the extra time to prep other stuff, like a roux (flour and olive oil).

How do you make your mushroom stock, pray tell?

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I should add that you might want to use some stock to make a slurry out of the mustard so that it does not clump when it hits the cooking liquid.

Tonight I bought four traditional style shank bones from Super H -- that is to say, sliced across the leg, roundish, roundish bone. And also what they call "shank" that looks like it was cut lengthwise down the leg, no bone. Like someone cut off the calf muscle from a human leg. I have no idea what cow legs actually look like.

Never tried that, wondering how it will work.

Will try this for braised beef this weekend. Roasted first will also roast the bones.

I will try a mushroom broth.

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How do you make your mushroom stock, pray tell?

I generally double or triple this recipe.

Mushroom Stock (an augmented version of a Bon Appetitrecipe)

2 pounds white mushrooms

1/4 to 1/2 cup of dried mushrooms (I like Porcini)

2 onions

2 quarts water

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of dry red wine

1 bay leaf

5 black pepper corns

1 sprig of fresh thyme

Heat enough of the 2 quarts of water that is necessary to cover the dried mushrooms. When the dried mushrooms are fully re-hydrated, remove them from the water and reserve for another use (I usually make porcini risotto the same day I make the stock) reserve the liquid for the stock. Coarsely cut-up the fresh mushrooms and place them in the bowl of a food processor and finely chop them, I have found that grinding them almost into a paste will extract the most flavor from the mushrooms. This may require several batches. Transfer to a 6-quart stockpot or heavy kettle. Add water and the reserved steeping liquid (making sure to avoid getting any of the grit that has collected at the bottom of the bowl into the pot). Finely chop onions and add to mushrooms with other ingredients. Simmer mixture, uncovered, 2 hours. Pour stock through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing hard on solids. Yield should be about 5 cups: If yield is less, add enough water to make 5 cups; if more, boil stock until reduced to 5 cups.

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