Brilliantly flavorful tender meat!

a reply to: chr0naut

Its tablespoons, just as the OP suggests

If anyone tries this recipe please drop back in for another reply amd tell us if you enjoyed it

I've made this many times with both lamb and beef

Its fantastic!

originally posted by: Mousygretchen
i dont understand how a person could eat lamb meat.... that's just evil

I usually wrap it in veal.

a reply to: Akragon

Anything by Lidia is usually a winner. This recipe is very similar to how I often meat dishes in the colder months.

I like to braise lamb, pork and some cuts of beef in the oven on 275-300 for 3-4 hours using a mirepoix, wine, stock and fresh herbs. I have a few pics of a few items I braised in my 'Food Porn' thread.

a reply to: largo

Good info, thanks.

I've always brined chicken breast before cooking it, always a crowd pleaser when such a normally dry cut is so moist and tender.

originally posted by: Mousygretchen
i dont understand how a person could eat lamb meat.... that's just evil

Oh, lamb is so good! My grandfather used to raise sheep, so I grew up on it.

a reply to: Akragon

you lost me at anchovies....yuk....other than that sounds good...

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: chr0naut

Its tablespoons, just as the OP suggests

If anyone tries this recipe please drop back in for another reply amd tell us if you enjoyed it

I've made this many times with both lamb and beef

Its fantastic!

OK, I tried it. It was good, the meat (lamb leg steaks) was really tender & I did sear the steaks on both sides first.

I did find, to my taste, it was quite salty and strongly flavored but I could easily adjust quantities for a milder sauce/juice.

a reply to: chr0naut

Yup, the anchovies will do that lol

a reply to: chr0naut

The anchovies are your meat tenderizer... if you find it is too salty for your taste i would add extra stock toward the end of your cooking time (or perhaps additional wine also) rather than have less of the anchovies..

Just a suggestion to people - they are the meat tenderizer..

originally posted by: BlueJacket
Good point. I use my 5, 7, or 9 qt cast Iron for all slow cooking of meats, so much yummier, more even heat distribution. reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Okay fine.. so I'm jealous now..

a reply to: Akragon

What besides a blade steak? About what weight??
I've never seen them in our area?
Also, an approximate time frame, please? 2 hours? 4 hours?
What kind of pan did you use?

I want to try this....but I don't do well without a bit more specifics
Thanks!!

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Well like I said there should be a thick sauce on the bottom... should take a few hours depending on the thickness of the meat you're using... and you can really use any cut you want. This is mainly for a tough meat like a blade steak or lamb

Just a regular non stick frying pan works fine... and I didn't mention that you do have to flip the meat every half hour or so to get the juices all through out the meat

Put it this way... when you can cut it with a spoon, and theres a nice thick sauce on the bottom its done...

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I would not prefer a frying pan, but rather a braising pan - they have a nice large surface area (great for reduction) and deep enough for all the meat and sauce you would like to make.. a fry pan is too limited in my opinion when you are trying to cook in liquid.

For a recipe like this I would start with 2-3 cups of chicken stock but you will need more after the first reduction, and more again if it reduces again too fast. Just make sure that your meat is covered (I like to have more than needed on hand just in case, so you should make sure to have at least 4 cups of stock on hand - and 6 wouldn't hurt, whatever you don't use in this recipe can be used in another!) but amount is something you need to judge by eye as you are worried about only "covering" your meat with liquid - not having it go deep sea diving..

I would allow 4 hours for cooking time, toggling your stove top temperature setting between low and simmer - stirring occasionally.. It is possible to cook this in two hours with a bit higher temperature and no lid, but i would try and keep your temperature low enough (and add more liquid periodically if necessary) for a 4 hour simmer time and to keep your liquid from reducing too fast I would use a lid for most of the cooking time after you reduce the first time.. (no lid though for the first reduction) - I say this because I end up reducing too fast on an electric stove...

As for what cuts you could use, any cut that is from the most used muscles are "tough". In beef, this means cuts such as chuck, flank, brisket, rump, and round... here is a nice link for you about beef:

www.seekingsources.com...

and here is a picture of a braising pan:



I hope this helps some, although I have not made this particular recipe...

Might I recommend Lehmans catalog. They are an Amish outfit in Ohio. Best selection of old world cooking apparatus and processing implements I have found. Thete is a 10 or more quart Ive been eying that mounts on a cast iron tripod for outdoor slow cooking....drools* Now that we just bought a small farm...Im ready to take it to yhe next level!to reply to: OpinionatedB

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Hey Texan...

Assuming your from Texas (home of the beef ribs) i want to ask you how to make the best most authentic most flavourful most exquisite gravy know to man originating from Texas especially for beef ribs....
please Texan, dont let me down!

Im making beef ribs for my family.... i dont have a smoker but the gravy is what i need most!

a reply to: combatmaster

When i make beef ribs without a smoker:

- Peel off the silver skin on the back of the ribs. If you don't know what i am talking about...look it up so you can see. This is critical if you want them to be edible
- I don't cook them in a whole rack. I cut them down into individual ribs before cooking
- season the ribs with a rub. I don't have a specific recipe, but it is typically a fresh ground chile pepper (i love pasilla for meat rubs), some roasted and ground cumin seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh ground peppercorn, salt, a little oregano, some thyme, and some brown sugar
- Oven on 300, ribs arranged in a neat order inside a disposable aluminum pan that will accomdate them all in a single layer
- pour in about 1 c beef stock into the pan, cover, and roast covered for a few hours (online you can find cooking times by weight)
- when you have about half an hour of cook time left, drain all liquid into a gravy separator, and return to the oven to finish cooking uncovered (cook until they start to brown off on top)
- separate the drippings with the separator, and discard the fat/grease. Mix the liquid with any store bought bbq sauce. Typically you should aim for 1 part dripping with 5 parts bbq sauce
- when you have 20 minutes left, cover the ribs in the bbq sauce and return to the oven

The goal is to get the inner temp to about 198, but no higher than 205. This is the magic point where the tough parts break down into gelatin and collagen. Perfect tenderness with beef ribs isn't just when the bone pulls free...you have to break down the tough parts in between the rib.

If you want to know how to make bbq sauce...let me know. My method is more detailed, and you may not have all the ingredients available without placing a mail order (dried chile peppers like pasilla, ancho, etc, etc). But if you get a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays....you are aout halfway to fantastic anyway. The beef drippings being mixed in is the real magic.

Same method with brisket, except when you pull it out you slice it down, cover with bbq sauce, and cook for an additional 30 minutes like that.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

wow... that sounds fantastic. i have a similar, albeit, slightly simpler method for lamb chops.

But please... dont let me derail you... the BBq sauce is what i want to know more than anything else! i already have 20 years experience with meat, but zero with the BBq sauce thats texas style!

My sauce:

- 5 dried ancho, 5 dried pasilla, a can of chipotle (with adobo sauce) and 5 dried new mexico chiles, seeded and chopped down (honestly, any chilis work...these are the ones i like)
- 1 large onion chopped
- i head garlic peeled
- 1 cup beef broth

Simmer on the stove on low heat until the liquid reduces by half, then pour the mixture in a blender and make it smooth. itll be deeply colored and have an oily sheen on it. That, right there, is what I call 'beautiful'. This is a base for bbq sauce, chili, menudo, asado....you just change what else goes in to change what its used for.

On the stove add it in to 4 large cans tomato sauce, 1/4c Worcestershire sauce, another 3 heads garlic minced, an onion chopped, 2tbl mexican oregano, 2 tbl cumin, 2 tbl sweet paprika, 1/4c soy sauce, 3 bay leaves, 1/3c molasses, and 1/2 c brown sugar. Simmer on low for several hours, adding in a little water along the way to keep it from reducing and scorching. You will know it is done with it is dark, smooth/glossy, and thick.

An alternate step i may add in the beginning is doing the onions separately in a skillet. Cook them in a very small amount of oil (like, cooking spray) in a nonstick skillet so they aren't oily. when they caremelize, ill add in maybe 1/3c bourbon and then stir into the bbq sauce.

when its done retrieve your bay leaves, and if you want run it through a blender to make it smooth.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

these are approximations...i only measure when baking. that is chemistry, and needs precise measurements

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

agreed...

thank you a million for this recipe!
i will be sure to let u know how it went