Short Ribs:
My Favorite Money Saving Hack
It’s been rough lately… this economy has made it incredibly
difficult to buy hamburger…much less higher cuts of meat. Food costs have
skyrocketed to extremes. Steaks and
roasts and especially beef has moved to prices that are unreachable.
There are some cuts that I don’t even look at
anymore. For example, yesterday I saw for prime rib roast in the meat case
selling for $33 a pound. I had to do a
double take. I stared at this pitiful little 5 and a half pound rib roast with a $183 label
on it thinking it must be a mistake. It
wasn’t.
I am a huge fan of short ribs but I stopped making them
because who can afford $23 a pound? I was paying over $20 for a pack of only 3 or 4 short ribs. The worst part of all is
that there would be a bone, so I wasn’t even getting that much meat.
One day a
butcher was putting out a tray of short ribs and saw me staring at the ribs in
my cart and contemplating whether or not to put them back. He whispered, “want to know a secret?” He then handed me a chuck roast that was only
$3.99 a pound. I looked at him and
asked, “This is your secret?”
He went on to explain that if you want the same exact
tenderness and flavor of short ribs at a price you can afford, go with a Chuck
Roast. I said, ‘I’m listening.”
He went
on to explain that short ribs are cut from the front shoulder area of the cow and
there is no difference in taste and flavor.
I said, “then why are short ribs so expensive and chuck roasts so
affordable?” He said, “the ribs are more expensive because high demand
from
social media, upscale restaurants, and barbecue chefs has turned a
historically
overlooked, budget-friendly cut into a high-priced luxury item. Cooking
shows, food bloggers, and trendy restaurants have popularized braised
and
smoked short ribs, driving up market demand.”
He told me how to trim and cut the chuck roast and make my own
boneless ribs that day and I have been cutting my own ribs for a fraction of
the cost ever since. I think they are
better than the ribs you buy in the store. You truly get your money’s worth and
then some. I can buy a chuck roast for about $9 and get at least 6-8 ribs that
would cost me at least $25.
Here's how you do it...first you need to trim, clean, and cut
the chuck roast…
Pat dry: Dry the chuck roast with paper towels. Follow the
seam that runs down the roast. Look at the natural muscle lines (seams of fat
and connective tissue). Using a sharp knife,
cut along that seem and pull the meat apart.
Then trim the fat along that seam and any other large portions of fat
anywhere on the roast. You want to leave
a little fat but remove the thicker larger pieces of fat. Just slice off heavy
exterior hard fat caps or silver skin.
Next you want to cut the roast into thick rectangular chunks
roughly 2 to 3 inches in size, mimicking the shape and heft of boneless short
ribs.
Okay you’re ready to cook them.
1 - 4 lb. chuck roast, cut into thick rectangular chunks
1 packet from a box of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1 can of low sodium beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
I like to oven roast my short ribs but you can put them in a
slow cooker if you have the time to set it and forget it.
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and freely salt and pepper
them on all sides. Lay them in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Pour a little of your beef broth in the bottom of the dish and
lay the ribs on top. Sprinkle the Onion
Soup mix all over the top of the ribs.
Pour the remaining broth all around the ribs trying not to
remove the onion soup mix. Throw in a few whole Baby Bella mushrooms if desired. This is optional.
Cover very tightly
with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for at least 4-5 hours.
Uncover and test with a fork to see if you have tender ribs
that give no resistance when you test the center of a rib. When you get to that stage the ribs are
finished.
Meat
is done when fork-tender and easily pull-apart/tender like traditional braised
short ribs.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes and then serve over mashed potatoes. YUM!
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