So... Whats for lunch?

[P.C.]

Hmmmm....good idea Lise (good morning)

  I have some beef ribs in the freezer myself.  Sounds like it might be a plan.

[Lise]

I'm kinda hesitant about it because I recall you guys telling me that it was better to do it with pork ribs but since I can't have any pork, I thought I'd give the beef a go. *finger crossed*

  Anyways, here's the recipe I'm thinking of trying out. Looks easy enough.

   [UL] [LI]3 pounds beef short ribs   [LI]1 cup water   [LI]1/2 cup barbecue sauce   [LI]1/4 cup cooking wine   [LI]1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce   [LI]salt and pepper to taste [/LI][/UL] [H4]PREPARATION:[/H4] Place ribs in slow cooker or Crock-Pot. Pour in remaining ingredients and cook for 8 to 10 hours.

  [A href="vny!://bbq.about.com/od/ribrecipe1/r/ble31003g.htm"]vny!://bbq.about.com/od/ribrecipe1/r/ble31003g.htm[/A]

   

[purelife]

Good morning PC and Lise.

  The beef ribs recipe sounds tasty.  

  No exciting plans today.

[P.C.]

WOW....8 to 10 hours?  That seems like a little overkill to me.

The one thing (the most important thing) that recipe doesn't say, is to brown the meat first.  That's what gives it flavour, and lessens the 'slimy' texture that crock pots seem to give to meat.  

[Lise]

 Morning purelife.

  Well, I know it's a bit of an overkill (8 hours) but that's the only recipe I know that has all the ingredients I have at hand.

  I should brown the meat, first, eh? That's a good tip. I'll do what you say. Do I sprinkle flour all over the meat first? [/DIV]

[P.C.]

Good morning purelife. [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/c010.gif" border=0]  

[purelife]

Hey PC.  Since I've got you online, could you tell me how the layer of shepard's pie go again?

  Is it vegetables, then the meat, then the gravy and then the mashed potatoes.  and then bake?  

[P.C.]

I do Lise.  I put a couple tablespoons of flour in a plastic bag.....add a bit of seasoning (salt, pepper, parsley....whatever).  I put the meat in the bag, puff a bit of air in the bag to make a 'balloon', then shake it to coat.

  After I've browned the meat I move it to the crock pot, then I put the remaining ingredients into the pan......and work in all the bits that have browned to the pan......then I pour the lot into the crock pot.  5 to 6 hours seems plenty to me, but ?  I guess you could check it after 5 hours, as see how it is.  

[Lise]

Hm. OK. I'll give that a go and see what happens. Thanks.

[P.C.]

You've got it purelife.  I usually just mix the gravy into the meat....then layer it onto the veggies.  Mmmm...shepards pie tonight ?  

[purelife]

Do you also do the same with the meat when making beef stew, PC?  Do you bake your stew or put it in a pressure cooker?  I usually make beef stew without browning the beef.  I just add all my ingredients in and then leave it to cook.

  I think that I'm doing something wrong with my method of making beef stew.  It still tastes great though but I'm always looking for another way.  

[purelife]

P.C. wrote:
You've got it purelife.  I usually just mix the gravy into the meat....then layer it onto the veggies.  Mmmm...shepards pie tonight ?     THANKS PC!    *jumps for joy*

 Nope, I'm going to try it over the weekends.  

[Lise]

PC is the Queen of Cooking. Ask and ye shall receive.

  I have done Shephard's pie but I never thought about the layers. I just put everything into the baking dish then slattered on the mashed potatoes. Gravy??? What gravy??[FONT size=1] meep........[/FONT]  

[P.C.]

Yes, I always brown meat dredged in flour first, if it's going to used in a recipe where the meat will be in contact with wet ingredients.  It seals it, it creates flavour, and it preserves the texture.  It also gives the gravy or sauce that it creates a richer colour and taste.  

[P.C.]

Gravy What gravy??[FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff80" size=1] meep........[/FONT]

[FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff80" size=1][/FONT]

[FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"]Lise, you always manage to give me a good laugh, at least once a day.  You are valuable! [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/d030.gif" border=0][/FONT]