Beef short rib help
I really, really want to like cooking beef short ribs. I love the scents in the kitchen and the idea of the transformation of those large, beefy looking things into a succulent dinner. I've enjoyed them at restaurants and other people's homes. The problem? Each time I've tried to cook them myself, I seem to end up with an overly fatty, have-to-work-really-hard-to -find-a-morsel-of-meat experience. Just tried again Sunday (using recipe for Braised Short Ribs with Dijon Mustard from Gourmet Today as posted on SE a few weeks back -- loved the sauce!) with ribs from a local farm. Still, almost nothing but fat. Am I supposed to trim them somehow before cooking? After cooking? Any ideas what I might be doing wrong or good sources of info? Thanks!
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10 Comments:
The fat should melt away into the sauce, leaving tender fibers of meat. Not the other way around. Maybe you've done too good of a job and the meat is just very tender? Or maybe the cut you got just wasn't particularly meaty.
yayfood at 9:12AM on 10/13/09
You don't really need to trim them unless there are huge hunks of fat. The only thing I ever trim is the membrane on the back of the ribs, but that's only after cooking. I don't recall that specific recipe - but every recipe I've done for short ribs, that's worked, involves about 3-4 hours of cooking (simmering, smoking, etc) which renders out the fat. How long did they cook for?
You might just be getting bad ribs. You said you got these from a local farm. Is that your regular source? I've seen some short ribs that are all fat - and others that are skinny little things. The best I've found are at an H-mart (Korean supermarket chain). Local? No, but damn good. They've got a good amount of intramuscular fat, without looking like a solid block of fat.
Also, I have to ask (because my wife often reminds me of it)... are you sure you're not just used to extremely lean meat? My wife doesn't generally like fatty meat, so if even a little of the fat isn't rendered (i.e. bacon has to be CRISPY), I hear about it... so lets also make sure that your expectations aren't too out of line.
stratusgd at 9:56AM on 10/13/09
Thanks. It may well have been the cut. Maybe, too, the Gourmet Today recipe called for 2" pieces of rib (mine were a bit bigger) and just 2.5 hours of cooking time. Perhaps it needed longer to hit the "melt" stage. Maybe I'll try again later this week as the temp plummets in Boston.
memt77 at 9:56AM on 10/13/09
Ask your butcher/grocer for short ribs from the chuck primal-more meat. The ones you are getting are probably from the plate-more fat. This why I hate that short ribs are often simply labeled short ribs.
Asado at 9:59AM on 10/13/09
I find that you can never ever go wrong with cooking longer. Are you searing the meat first? Really getting a good brown crust on before you start the slow cooking process?
Also, if you make the whole thing a day in advance, chill overnight, skim any fat that accumulates at the surface, then re-heat, you'll have a 'leaner' sauce and the meat will be more tender for the chilling and re-warming. I can't remember why, only that Alton told me.
The extra heat from warming will render any left over globules and should solve some of your problems.
If that doesn't work, I would look again at the meat.
BananaMonkey at 11:21AM on 10/13/09
I was going to offer the same comments as BananaMonkey.
Good, long sear on med-high. Then drain that fat.
Braise on mium to medium low for several hours until very tender. Let cool, then chill to harden the fat. Remove the hardened fat and reheat the ribs.
And as Banana mentioned, look at the meat. I would try a different meat source.
Just one note- as with shanks, short ribs are more fatty than other meats. That is what makes them so silky and rich. After trying another meat source or two, you may find that it's not the right meat cut for you.
I recently had a very fatty batch and after the sear, braise, chill and reheat, I too found them to be too fatty. Just too rich to eat as is. What to do?
I trimmed all the meat away from the fat and bones and added it back into the pot. In a skillet, I cooked diced onions, celery, carrots and some other vegetables (some corn, green beans, slivered cabbage...), tossed them in along with a handful of barley, a large can of tomatoes, a few dashes of Worchestershire and hot pepper sauces, some red wine and another bay leaf, letting it simmer for a while.
The.best.vegetable.soup.ever.
CJ McD at 12:12PM on 10/13/09
All these comments are helpful. I just happened to be at a meeting near a Whole Foods and stuck my head in there. The beef short ribs were much, much meatier (and on sale!) than what I was working with over the weekend, as well as the ones I'd tried unsuccessfully last spring. I did sear, etc., and will do that again this time. I'm confident with all your tips, it'll work out this time.Thanks again.
memt77 at 1:17PM on 10/13/09
When the butcher cuts short ribs,they are about a foot long and 4 ribs to a slab,before cutting and trimming.There is a considerable difference in the two ends of the ribs.One is all meat and the other end is mostly bones and fat.If you know your butcher,ask him or her for the short ribs from the meaty end.
onepercent99 at 5:25PM on 10/13/09
Could someone please tell me exactly where the short ribs are located. I live in Australia and short ribs and not something that is found on menus. (It's only been in the last few years that pork ribs have appeared in the stores). I've asked my local butcher but he didn't have a clue and told me that if I could explain exactly what I wanted he'd get them for me. thanks :)
katbran at 12:45AM on 10/14/09
The ends of the rib bones that are trimmed off the primal rib (a.k.a. "The prime rib") to produce the rib roast are known as beef short ribs.
Bring this description to your butcher and wait for some short ribs, which will be forthcoming....
Pavlov at 5:52AM on 10/14/09