Aurora bistro recipe desired

[shelora]

Since we don't get over to Aurora often enough and demands for root beer braised short ribs are at an all time high over at our house, I am going to attempt a version this evening.

Dear Chef Jeff, are there any secrets you can divulge about this delicious dish?

Do you dredge ribs in flour and sear first? Is tomato paste involved? What kind of root beer is best?

As you may have noticed, Neil has made many people happy when he revealed his gingerbread pudding recipe, perhaps you too could help a few hungry souls across the pond.

Signed,

Craving in Victoria.

[chef jeff]

Hi Shelora, I wasn't ignoring you so that I didn't have to give you this recipe. I've been without a computer that works for a couple of days. Work and home computers both went on the same day. AAAAggggghhhhh! You don't realize how much you depend on them until they croak.

Anyways, here's the quick version. If you want a more detailed version, let me know.

Season and sear bison shortribs - no flour

In a pot large enough to hold the ribs bring to a boil:

1 part root beer (I prefer an organic or naturally flavoured one such as blue sky. Stay away from Sante Fe, as it is clear and doesn't help the colour of your sauce)

1 part beef or chicken stock

1/8 part crushed tomatoes or tomato puree

enough red wine or balsamic vinager to balance the sweetness of the rootbeer

a few cloves of garlic

a sprig of thyme

add ribs

adjust seasoning

reduce to simmer

add ribs, cover and place in a 250 degree oven

check ribs after 3 hours. They normally take over 4 hours, but sometimes they are quicker. If they go too long the dry out.

When they are done, strain the liquid into a pot, and skim and reduce to a nice "demi" consistency.

At the restaurant, we pull the meat, add sauteed mirepoix and reduced braising sauce. We then cool it, and wrap balls of this mix in caul fat. We bread it, deep fry it till golden, and bake in the oven until heated through.

We serve this on a bed of braised chard, a loose (almost sauce like) celery root puree, and pour the reduced and refined braising liquid around the plate.

The important thing to remember is that the rootbeer doesn't get too sweet.

Good luck, and let me know if you want more detail.

Cheers, Jeff

[Daddy-A]

At the restaurant, we pull the meat, add sauteed mirepoix and reduced braising sauce.  We then cool it, and wrap balls of this mix in caul fat.  We bread it, deep fry it till golden, and bake in the oven until heated through.

You are my hero Jeff!

A.

[fud]

My Gawd. Two of my favorite things: rootbeer and ribs together at last. Deep fried mirepoix in rib/rootbeer juice sounds divine too!

Edited February 23, 2006 by fud (log)

[shelora]

Hi Shelora, I wasn't ignoring you so that I didn't have to give you this recipe.

Good. I can wipe away my tears now! Thank you so much. I'm taking the shortribs out of the freezer as we speak.

I have one question about the recipe, how many shortribs are you using? And at the end of the recipe you say,"the important thing to remember is that the rootbeer doesn't get too sweet."

What if it does?

[Ling]

The deep-fried/caul fat thing is dead sexy.

[~cayenne~]

Hi Shelora, I wasn't ignoring you so that I didn't have to give you this recipe.

Good. I can wipe away my tears now! Thank you so much. I'm taking the shortribs out of the freezer as we speak.

I have one question about the recipe, how many shortribs are you using? And at the end of the recipe you say,"the important thing to remember is that the rootbeer doesn't get too sweet."

What if it does?

←

I'm thinking, (and most likely I'm off base), but perhaps it is an encouragement, that root beer is a good choice for not being too sweet, rather than using coca cola in a braising or slow cook recipe?

[kontemporary]

Hi Shelora, I wasn't ignoring you so that I didn't have to give you this recipe.

Good. I can wipe away my tears now! Thank you so much. I'm taking the shortribs out of the freezer as we speak.

I have one question about the recipe, how many shortribs are you using? And at the end of the recipe you say,"the important thing to remember is that the rootbeer doesn't get too sweet."

What if it does?

←

I'm thinking, (and most likely I'm off base), but perhaps it is an encouragement, that root beer is a good choice for not being too sweet, rather than using coca cola in a braising or slow cook recipe?

←

Wouldn't the sugar from the root beer help caramelize? But I'm imagining the root beer not to be a bottled commercial soft drink..

[~cayenne~]

Hi Shelora, I wasn't ignoring you so that I didn't have to give you this recipe.

Good. I can wipe away my tears now! Thank you so much. I'm taking the shortribs out of the freezer as we speak.

I have one question about the recipe, how many shortribs are you using? And at the end of the recipe you say,"the important thing to remember is that the rootbeer doesn't get too sweet."

What if it does?

←

I'm thinking, (and most likely I'm off base), but perhaps it is an encouragement, that root beer is a good choice for not being too sweet, rather than using coca cola in a braising or slow cook recipe?

←

Wouldn't the sugar from the root beer help caramelize? But I'm imagining the root beer not to be a bottled commercial soft drink..

←

Absolutely it would. I'm thinking that perhaps the organic and/or less mainstream versions would have the original/natural flavours of sassafras and not be just overwhelmingly sweet?

Edited February 24, 2006 by ~cayenne~ (log)

[chef jeff]

Hi Shelora, I wasn't ignoring you so that I didn't have to give you this recipe.

Good. I can wipe away my tears now! Thank you so much. I'm taking the shortribs out of the freezer as we speak.

I have one question about the recipe, how many shortribs are you using? And at the end of the recipe you say,"the important thing to remember is that the rootbeer doesn't get too sweet."

What if it does?

←

I usually do 20 - 50 pounds at a time, but that's a little rediculous for home use, unless you are fiends for the ribs!

with 20 pounds (bone in for flavour) I use 12 cans of blue sky root beer and 6 litres of beef stock. For home I would think 5 pounds would give you lots. You can freeze the extra braised meat for a week or two. I think it's best to freeze it before you mix it with mirepoix and sauce, as the addition of the sauce later will add moisture to the frozen meat.

When I mentioned the sweetness of the rootbeer, what I was saying was, when you reduce all the flavours concentrate. If the sweetness starts to get cloying from reduction, you need to balance it with some acidity ie: red wine vinager or balsamic vinager.

Let me know how it goes.

[shelora]

I usually do 20 - 50 pounds at a time, but that's a little rediculous for home use, unless you are fiends for the ribs!

with 20 pounds (bone in for flavour) I use 12 cans of blue sky root beer and 6 litres of beef stock.  For home I would think 5 pounds would give you lots.  You can freeze the extra braised meat for a week or two.  I think it's best to freeze it before you mix it with mirepoix and sauce, as the addition of the sauce later will add moisture to the frozen meat.

When I mentioned the sweetness of the rootbeer, what I was saying was, when you reduce all the flavours concentrate.  If the sweetness starts to get cloying from reduction, you need to balance it with some acidity ie: red wine vinager or balsamic vinager.

Let me know how it goes.

The information I need. Thanks, Maestro.

[Daddy-A]

The BC High School Boys Basketball Championships led me to try out this recipe. The inspiration? My son had a root beer, and we were going to be passing Cioffi's on the way home so I could pick up some short ribs. You should have seen the look in the butcher's eyes when I told him what I was going to do with the ribs!

Seared ribs and the root beer du jour ... a playful little bottle with hints of anise.

Finished plate with yams (mashed with a little yoghurt and chicken stock) and sauted green beans (with Senhor Rooster's Mango Chile Sauce)

Proclaimed a winner by the family. Next time I'll have a bit more time to reduce the sauce. I took some time to reduce some of it after dinner and will use it later on some short rib sandwiches.

Thanks for the help Jeff!

A.

[Ling]

^Looks good, but where's the caul fat and the deep-frying?

[Daddy-A]

^Looks good, but where's the caul fat and the deep-frying? 

←

Yeah, I wish! Deep frying gets done in our house once a year for arrancini.

However, the leftovers from last night were just consumed at lunch ... shredded in a sandwich with a fennel/apple slaw.

A.

[BCinBC]

Nice Arne. Was it discernably sweet or no? I have never had Jeff's so I don't really have a point of ref, but have certainly been tempted.

Shelora, any update on yours?

[shelora]

I had to order everything ahead of time. So next week I have both the bison short ribs and the caul fat at one time! This is a frustrating part of living on the island. Occasionally you just have to wait.

But I'm looking forward to my adventure.

s

[Daddy-A]

Nice Arne.  Was it discernably sweet or no?  I have never had Jeff's so I don't really have a point of ref, but have certainly been tempted.

Nor have I, but I've had similar "soda & meat" style dishes so I had some frame of reference.

Considering I had red wine to "balance the sweetness" I think it was fine. In the meat itself, you could taste the root beer, but that would be only because you knew it was there. In the reduction ... now that's a different story. Very root-beer-y ... and if balanced, not sweet at all.

I'd make this again just for the looks I'd get from dinner guests when I mention root beer

A.

[shelora]

  Deep frying gets done in our house once a year for arrancini.

I hope we get the heads up for that event. Wouldn't want to miss it!