Can I make beef short ribs ahead of time?
Hi Eaters,
Despite it being 8 million degrees out, I've got a strong hankering for beef short ribs. This will be the first time I'm making them I'm using a Braised Hoisin Beer Short Ribs Recipe from Dave Liberman via The Bitten Word...I do have a general braised beef rib question though.
Can I make these ahead of time? We've a busy evening planned and I don't want to be fussing with browning and putting to braise (albeit passive cooking time) this evening. Can I do this now (it's noon where I am) and reheat it tonight without too much damage to the texture etc?
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14 Comments:
Absolutely.
wookie at 12:07PM on 08/20/09
I think that tough meats like short ribs and stew meats are actually better after they've been cooled and reheated.
Alton Brown agrees. Something about how something melts and does something else after it cools...anyway, there's a scientific reason why the meat seems better the second time around.
Go for it.
dbcurrie at 12:10PM on 08/20/09
They are actually better made a day ahead. Leave them in the braising liquid as they cool.
derosa at 12:19PM on 08/20/09
Snappy! Thanks all!
BananaMonkey at 12:22PM on 08/20/09
I know you want to braise them, but do you have a slowcooker? I've never made braised shortribs, so I'm not sure if it would translate well to a slowcooker, but you could brown it now and put it in, then it will be ready later in the evening without the fuss. Also, crockpots don't heat your house up when it's stinking hot out.
joyyy at 12:47PM on 08/20/09
I don't have one joyyy but I did see a lot of recipes that did exactly that. One of these days when I have more counter space.
IT would be nice on a day like today!
BananaMonkey at 12:56PM on 08/20/09
They're still much better the next day or so and you can scoop off all the fat before you reheat them.
bessfour at 12:56PM on 08/20/09
The problem with the slowcooker is that you can't brown the meat in it, so you lose out on all of the fond. If you do a really low and slow braise, the temp is only 250* anyway, so it's not gonna kill you heat wise, and you will retain all that delicious browning flavor in your pan.
simon at 1:09PM on 08/20/09
I always cook my short ribs ahead of time for dinner parties... usually the day before, and stick the whole covered pot in the fridge.
You do have to scoop off the solidified fat before warming the ribs up... you can heat them slowly in their pot over low heat, or put big scoops in a hot cast iron to give the edges a crackly crisp.
Now I want short ribs! I need a summer kitchen.
FeliciasMealTicket at 1:42PM on 08/20/09
You don't lose the fond if you brown in a skillet first, then deglaze and add everything to the slowcooker. Then it can cook SUPER low and slow for a million hours (or, like, 12.)
maggiej at 2:29PM on 08/20/09
True indeed.
simon at 3:22PM on 08/20/09
thanks all. i love this place!
BananaMonkey at 5:47PM on 08/20/09
@dbcurrie... I don't know about the scientific reason for why it tastes good the second time around. But here's why it tastes good to begin with if you brown your short ribs first.
The Maillard reaction occurs when the denatured proteins on the surface of the meat recombine with the sugars present. The combination creates the "meaty" flavor and changes the color. For this reason, it is also called the browning reaction. The Maillard reaction occurs most readily at around 300° F to 500° F. When meat is cooked, the outside reaches a higher temperature than the inside, triggering the Maillard reaction and creating the strongest flavors on the surface.
The Short ribs also contain a lot of connective tissue which break down in the slow and long cooking process of braising and add body or mouth feel to the juices.
@ BananaMonkey -Might I suggest that if you do reheat them, (I would love them cold) place them in zip top storage bags and bring a pot of water to a boil. When it reaches the boiling point, shut the heat off and place the bags of short ribs in the water to heat until desired temp is reached.
And perhaps most importantly, if you want them to be tender and juicy... @derosa said something very key. DO NOT TAKE THEM OUT OF THE BRAISING LIQUID TO COOL.
Enjoy!
Pavlov at 6:26AM on 08/21/09
Thanks @pavlov. In fact, this recipe called for 2.5hrs covered on teh stove, and 30 minutes uncovered at 300 degrees in the oven.
When I preheated teh oven, I put the pot on low to slowly bring them backup to temp. By the time the oven was up to temp, the ribs were almost as warm as they were after their 2.5 hrs in the pot. The result was unbelievably good. You know the kind of meal where you take abite, then put down your cutlery and point to your mouth while you talk to your dining companion--mostly saying things like "OMG".
I found the recipe at photogazing here. It was so delicious, I'd like to share the link to the blog. http://thebittenword.typepad.com/thebittenword/2009/01/braised-hoison-beer-short-ribs-with-rosemary-whitebean-pur%C3%A9e.html
My only addition was a 5 spice powder rub on teh ribs before browning. And mashed potatoes instead of bean puree. Thanks everyone for their kind advice!
BananaMonkey at 9:28AM on 08/21/09