Getting half a grass fed cow every year forces me to do two things.
First, in order to know what to tell our butcher, I have to better and better understand the anatomy of a cow and how it is processed into various pieces of meat. That's really interesting.
Second, I also have to learn how to cook pieces of meat that I would never go to the store and buy, such as short ribs.
Fatty and tough at the same time, I find that short ribs are really difficult to do well.
My goal this year was to make them edible, simply.
One year, I prepared them using a traditional rib recipe and they were literally swimming in their own grease, so we had to throw them out without even eating them.
Another year, I think I just gave them still frozen to my friend who knows how to cook them, so I wouldn't have to bother trying.
This year, I par boiled them for about thirty minutes in order to rid them of excess fat, following a friend's advice.
Then I lined a baking sheet with foil and placed a rack on the sheet and then placed them on top of the rack.
Once they cooled a little, I rubbed them with spicy mustard and a dry rub made for steaks.
I cooked them for two hours at 300 degrees, uncovered for one hour, covered with foil the second hour.
I served them with brown rice cooked in beef bone broth and seasoned with kosher salt, garlic and onion powder, and Oregano.
I also served carrots and green beans, overcooked because I wasn't paying careful attention, then covered in a bit too much butter, also because I wasn't really paying attention.
Needless to say, it was not the leanest or healthiest of meals.
But the ribs were edible, even edible enough for our picky kids. So I am calling it a win.
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