Root Beer Beef Short Ribs
It's not too sweet (like I would have expected by the name) but instead, gives a subtle sweetness - kind of a "what is that?" flavour.
When slow cooked in the slow cooker, the meat is so tender, it practically falls off the bone. Straight up, deliciousness.
Over the summer, Mr. Man and I planned a trip to Niagara’s wine country. If you haven’t been, you definitely need to go – even if you are not a wine drinker. Many of the wineries also have restaurants and the food, regardless of which winery you visit, is amazing.
While on the trip, we stopped by a restaurant and I ordered the beef short ribs. Let me tell you, these were the best short ribs I have ever tasted in my life. Mr. Man and I spent months dreaming of revisiting just for these short ribs.
I decided, instead of dreaming, I was going to figure out how to make this recipe.
I visited the restaurant’s website and viewed the menu to see how they described it. And from there, I developed a recipe, though not exact, it sure comes close!
The recipe (or at least the menu) called for root beer, which I would not have expected. I am not usually a root beer fan and thought that this may have given the beef a, kind of sweeter taste that I’m not sure I would enjoy.
Sure enough, I tried it, and it tasted amazing!
It's not too sweet (like I would have expected by the name) but instead, gives a subtle sweetness - kind of a "what is that?" flavour.
When slow cooked in the slow cooker, the meat is so tender, it practically falls off the bone. Straight up, deliciousness.
Whats great about this recipe is that it takes only 20 minutes to prep and then the slow cooker does the rest of the work for you! I let mine cook overnight or while I'm at work, for 10 hours, but you can adjust the time to work with your schedule.
Makes: 2 servings
Prep time:
Cook time:
- 2 lbs beef short ribs
- 1 can root beer
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 250 ml (2 cups) beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 springs rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- Season beef short ribs with salt, pepper and Chinese five spice
- In a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil, saute onions and garlic on medium-high heat
- Add the short ribs, searing on all sides (approximately 2 minutes on each side).
- Place seared short ribs in the slow cooker
- Add the beef broth to the skillet, deglazing the onions and garlic for approximately 5 minutes
- Pour the deglazing mixture into the slow cooker with the short ribs.
- Add the root beer, rosemary and bayleaves to the slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker for 10 hours.
Smokey Grilled Lamb Chops
it's no secret, I have a deep love for lamb.
it's no secret, I have a deep love for lamb.
If I go out to a restaurant and see lamb on the menu, I usually stop looking. My mind has been made up.
I think its because I grew up with it as often as I did with your more common meats like beef and chicken. Lamb was typically part of a weekly meal. For me, lamb is comfort food.
I know many people still stay away from it saying is has a "gamey" taste but I believe its all in how you clean it. Lamb does have a lot of fat, and when that fat isn't trimmed properly, that gamey taste is more pronounced. I trim off as much fat as possible - I also hate chewing on fat so that most definitely has a lot to do with it. I also do a quick rinse in white vinegar. And when I say a "quick rinse", I mean no more than 30 seconds. I'm not really 100% sure why, but this is how my parents have always cleaned meat and I just continue it. My mom used to say that if its in vinegar for long it would start to cook the meat and we're not trying to do that just yet!
While my parents prefer all of their meats cooked well done, I prefer mine medium rare - especially lamb. Its such a delicate meat when cooked this way. And it takes less time to cook, which is perfect for those nights when you just came home from work and nothing is prepared.
Which is why this recipe is so perfect. it's quick and easy. And I love easy.
I made mine on a cast iron grill but you can easily do this on the barbecue. I added a little bit of liquid smoke (a little goes a long way!) because I love that smokiness. You can find the liquid smoke at most grocery stores now and of course at your local specialty shops as well. Because you only need so little for each recipe, the bottle lasts a long time! Everything else in this recipe, you probably already have in your fridge.
Smokey Grilled Lamb Chops
Serves: 4
Prep time:
Cook time:
- 4 lamb shoulder chops
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2-3 shakes liquid chipotle smoke
- 2 garlic cloves – roughly chopped
- a few slices red onion
- black pepper to taste
- mix all ingredients together
- Preheat a cast ion grill to medium high heat
- grill on each side for 2-3 minutes for a medium rare (or longer if you prefer a more well done lamb).