Short Ribs - Slow Cooked Masterpiece

When meat turns out wonderfully, I tend to attribute much of the success to the device in which the meat was cooked.  I have provided abundant accolades to the Big Green Egg, both for its diversification (i.e. everything from smoking meat to searing steaks) and for the food quality that results.  But there is another reason to love a device.  If you can spend 5 minutes chopping some vegetables and insert them, some meat, some seasoning and some broth into a Crock Pot before 10 a.m., and have an amazing meal at 6 p.m., there is something to be said for convenience.  The Big Green Egg allows me to be an artist.  The Crock Pot allows me to be anything I want for 8 hours, while my food is becoming deliciously ready for consumption.

The Crock Pot brings back a host of childhood memories for me as well.  Brisk autumn (or spring) days, playing outside all day long in some friend's backyard, being filthy from playing on leaves or grass still wet from melted snow, and working up a ravenous appetite.  Walking in the door, and being struck with the smell of some roast with potatoes, carrots and plenty of horseradish on the side.  Yum.  I think I need to try to recreate that some day soon.

But alas!  No roast this time!  This was yet another new endeavor, i.e. cooking short ribs.  I've eaten many a short rib, but never made one.  Until yesterday.  But I will be making them again, that is for sure!  First, took chopped mushrooms (about 8 oz), chopped leaks (about 3 of them) and chopped carrots (about 4 of them) and layered them on the bottom of the Crock Pot.  On top of them, I placed 5 bone-in short ribs, seasoned with Sea Salt on both sides.  Sprinkled in 2 teaspoons of lemon zest, and a mixture of thyme, rosemary, black pepper and salt.  Poured in about 3/4 cup of beef broth, and turned it on Low for 8 hours.  After 8 hours I took the meat and vegetables out using a slotted spoon.  I took about a cup of the broth and put it into a sauce pan and added some sour cream and flour to it, to thicken it into a sour cream gravy.  Poured that over the dish, and dug in.  My wife made her now famous mashed potatoes and steamed broccolette.  Served with a bottle of Mueller Syrah, and leisure Sunday was complete!  FYI.  To give you insight into the amazing-ness of the Crock Pot and what it does to a meat's tenderness, when I was taking the meat out, 4 out of 5 bones just slid off while I scooped up the meat.  Without even trying.  Wow.  Yum.  Thank you, Crock Pot!

23 down, 36 to go!