Texas knows beef. Texas knows barbecue. Shouldn’t be a big surprise to anyone that Texans make awesome barbecue beef. Making BBQ beef short ribs is an outstanding way to use a cut classically reserved for braising.
Brisket gets all the glory and when its great it’s so off the scale wonderful it’s easy to understand why. Brisket is hard to make though – which is why the famous pit masters in Texas are famous. BBQ beef short ribs are much easier to do consistently and while they may not be quite as good as the best brisket I’ve ever had (Franklin’s in Austin if you are wondering), they will likely turn out better than brisket, all other things being equal. Done right, they are moist, juicy, a bit fatty and smoky. Heaven.
I served it up here with a corn, black bean jumble. Corn is in season right now and I love it cut off the cob and just warmed through in a frying pan.
It’s not hard to do but it takes time and patience. And good quality beef. Talk to your butcher. It’s really hard to get great beef from a supermarket.
My butcher fixed me up with slabs of three short ribs. Beef he hangs in the back for 28 days. I cannot get this at a supermarket where I live.
This is another one of those technique posts – a guideline more than a recipe.
Technique
For the BBQ beef short ribs
Six meaty beef english style short ribs 3 Tbsp coarse (butcher’s grind) pepper 1 Tbsp salt 1 tsp granulated garlic (optional)
Mix salt, pepper and granulated garlic. This is your dry rub. Sprinkle generously over the beef (you may have some left over).
Corn Black Bean Jumble
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 cobs of corn stripped of kernels
- 15 oz can black beans
- 1 large jalapeno
- 2-3 sliced shallots or 1/2 small chopped white onion
- 2 medium tomatoes seeded and diced
- 3 sprigs cilantro minced
- Cajun seasoning of your choice to taste - use it like salt
Instructions
- Hold the corn upright and cut the kernels off the cob moving from top to bottom with a sturdy knife.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the creole seasoning, onions and jalapeño until soft, then add the corn and black beans and continue cooking over medium heat until just warmed through. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Add the tomatoes and cilantro and mix.
This mac and cheese is so good it will outshine your lovingly prepared mains. It’s a star attraction. I know. I’ve done it to myself. More than once.
This is one of those recipes that you have to be careful with. It’s good. Very good. Crazy good.
But it can be a secret weapon as well. Imagine you are going to a pot luck and you want to be the one that blows everyone away.
This is a dish that can do it. The ultimate sleeper side. Killer mac and cheese. Absolutely killer.
One mac and cheese to rule them all
I know this sounds like a pretty tall claim. It’s mac and cheese after all.
You’re thinking – “Mine is pretty damn good. Why would I bother? Everyone loves mine”.
Maybe that’s true but has anyone ever begged you to serve leftovers for breakfast? I have.
“Forget bacon and eggs. Not interested in lox and cream cheese. We want the mac and cheese”.
Gruyere and cheddar make it special
It’s about more. More cheese. Creamy béchamel. There’s no real secret here.
Just clobber you over the head more. More flavour. Better texture. Crazy rich.
It’s somewhere between a regular mac and cheese and lasagna.
There’s no bread crumbs. There’s no tomato. And there’s no pinch of this and touch of that. It’s about cheese and pasta.
The complexity comes from the gruyere and cheddar. And there’s cheese melted on top. Just because that’s better.
If you want to go absolutely crazy add pulled pork. You don’t have to. But that adds a whole extra layer of wow. Real pulled pork though. Not the slow cooker stuff.
It’s pretty easy to make as well. Cook your pasta al dente. Make a béchamel. Melt the cheese into it. Add the pasta. Top with more cheese. Bake. Let stand. Serve. Bask in adulation from everyone who tries it.
This is not health food. It’s not food for when you are watching your weight.
This is going for gold. Win at all costs. Sinful. But every now and then sinful is OK. Life is too short for bad food.
killer mac and cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb small shell pasta – conchiglie
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups milk
- 1 lb gruyere grated
- 12 oz old cheddar grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 -12 oz pulled pork finely chopped optional but oh so magical
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil. For guidance – generously salted means it tastes like the ocean.
- Cook the pasta until just under the recommended time and drain. It will continue cooking as it bakes so you don’t want it overly soft after boiling.
- Mix the grated cheeses. Reserve around 4 oz of cheese.
- Heat the milk but don’t let it boil.
- In a 2 quart saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Mix in the flour and cook gently for 2 minutes. You don’t want the mixture to colour. After two minutes start adding the warm milk a couple of tablespoons at a time to start mixing constantly. Once you have about a half a cup incorporated you can start adding the milk faster, maybe half a cup at a time. Once you’ve added all the milk bring it to a gentle, gentle boil. It will thicken at this point. If this sounds familiar it’s because you are making a béchamel.
- Add the salt.
- Off heat, add the cheese mixture a handful at a time stirring constantly. After the cheese has incorporated, add the next handful. Repeat until all but the reserved cheese remains. This is called a mornay sauce if you like cooking trivia.
- Fold in the pasta and pork if using and mix. Transfer the mac and cheese mixture to a 10×14 inch oven proof baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheese overtop. Cover with tin foil and bake 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes to brown. You may need to broil it briefly. If you do watch it closely. That’s it. Easy and crazy good.
