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My husband swears he married me for my short ribs :)
I'll never tell them how easy they are.

Brown them well on each side in a dutch oven.
Short ribs tend to be fatty, as you know, so you need just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pot, so the ribs don't stick.

Add salt, pepper and some garlic powder, to taste, after browning, to avoid scorching the spices.

Add enough beef stock to cover them half way, add a bit of worcestershire sauce and a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste (to your taste..).

Lower the heat, cover the dutch oven, and either simmer for at least 3 - 4 hours, or put in a low (250F) oven for the same amount of time.
These are minimal times... i confess that i have left mine sitting simmering on a stove all day.

Low and slow is the key.... the meat will fall off the bone, and the fat will have rendered off completely.

When the ribs are done, remove them from the pot to a plate.
Cover with foil to keep moist.
Make a gravy from the liquid in the pot by letting it reduce.
If you like a thicker gravy, just make a slurry out of corn starch and cold water, and add to the bubbling liquid till it is the desired thickness.

At this point, you can put the ribs back in the pot, reheat through, and serve over rice, buttered noodles, or with mashed potatoes...

bon appetite!

I got one as a wedding gift many years ago. When we moved and were packing up I realized I had used it only once in the 9 years we were in that house.
Soooo... evaluating space taken up vs. usefulness, it got sold at our garage sale for $2.00. I haven't missed it once.
Having said that, I would literally shrivel up and die if anyone took my heavy dutch oven!

Corned Beef...
The smell of the pickling spices cooking makes me gag... but what could be better than a corned beef sandwich on homemade rye?

These are things that contribute to a too-dense rye bread...

Not enough yeast, or the yeast is not active enough. (Maximum 4 cups of flour to one package yeast, since you said you are using packets)

Insufficient kneading. (If you have a stand mixer, let the dough hook do the heavy work) Try kneading it a bit longer.

Not enough moisture in the dough. Someone mentioned earlier that Rye dough is sticky. They are correct. Should be sticky but workable.

Too much rye flour in proportion to bread flour. Try using more bread flour and less rye. You might also want to try a little all-purpose mixed in with the rye flour and bread flour.

Not enough rise time. Is the first rise letting the dough double in size?

Ok, now after all this, i am hungry for rye bread!! Good luck!

Do they have the same response to garlic powder too? I can't imagine cooking without garlic, shallots, onions and the like. Where would all that great flavor come from? :)
Is it because your friend is allergic to these things or because of the taste?