Creole Beef Short Ribs

A couple of years ago I posted a recipe called Round Steak and Fettuccine and ranted on and on and on about the my inability to find short ribs in this part of the work.  After that rant, Gunny, a fellow blogger friend very generously surprised the heck out of me and sent me a humongous pack of beef ribs.  Those ribs were the best beef I have ever tasted!

I had to tell you that to tell you this, I found beef short ribs in the grocery store and you know I scooped them up and couldn't wait to cook them.  I started to make the Giada deLaurentis recipe but A.J. (Mr. Brown Gravy and Rice) kept asking me what I was going to do with the ribs.  ~Sigh~ I couldn't cook them in a red gravy with pasta right in front of him, so I adapted because he can't.  That's the wonderful thing about marriage, I compromised and hit pay dirt!

So go find some beef short ribs and make this right away!

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 strips of Hickory Smoke Bacon
2 1/2 pounds short ribs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth

Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon until  crisp. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.

Remove the bacon from the pot and drain in paper towels and set aside.  Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and dredge the ribs in the flour raise the heat to medium high.  

Add the ribs to the pot and brown on all sides. don't crowd the pot, you will have to do this in batches and possibly drizzle a little more oil to the pot between batches.

Once the ribs are browned, place on a platter or baking sheet and reserve.  Add a scant tablespoon of flour to the pot and stir continuously for about 5 to 7 minutes to allow the flour to cook and brown for a roux.  Then add the onions, celery and bell pepper.  Combine the vegetables in the roux, which will be fairly light color and saute for about 7 more minutes, then add the minced garlic and saute for another two minutes.



Slowly add the beef broth the the pot 1/2 cup at a time.  Completely blend in between pours.

At this point I was satisfied with the color, so I added 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire and still wasn't happy with the color.  So I will let you in on a dirty little secret.

Kitchen Bouquet is my dirty little secret.  When I want the color of a gravy a little deeper brown, this little bottle is my answer.  If you're in a hurry to get your roux to the brown color you need, add a couple of drops dawlin', it just that easy.  Creole and Cajun cooks will never, ever admit they use Kitchen Bouquet, but they have at one time or another, just saying...

So I added about 1 teaspoon and jackpot, I got the color I wanted.  Be careful with Kitchen Bouquet, a little goes a long way.

Add in the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper.

Return the ribs to the pot, crumble the bacon and add, then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasonings. 

Garnish with parsley and serve with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Yes, sometimes compromise is good.