Comments on: Cooking the Books: June Naylor and Lou Lambert are Writing a Cookbook http://escapehatchdallas.com/2010/03/08/cooking-the-books-june-naylor-and-lou-lambert-are-writing-a-cookbook/ Exploring the world one restaurant, golf course & vineyard at a time Fri, 18 May 2012 01:51:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: June Naylor http://escapehatchdallas.com/2010/03/08/cooking-the-books-june-naylor-and-lou-lambert-are-writing-a-cookbook/#comment-413 June Naylor Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:55:39 +0000 http://escapehatchdallas.com/?p=2514#comment-413 While we aren’t ready to divulge recipes yet from the Big Ranch, Big City cookbook – they’re still in refinement stages, as the book isn’t in bookstores until fall 2011 – we can share a recipe that Lou Lambert wrote for my recent cookbook with Grady Spears, Cooking the Cowboy Way. We produced our Big Bend chapter out at one of Lou’s ranches near Marfa, Texas; this is a recipe Lou made and we photographed on site. It captures Lou’s food sensibilities just perfectly. It’s a goody, so enjoy! SMOKED-BRAISED SHORT RIBS This rib recipe combines two of Lou’s favorite  cooking techniques, smoking and braising. The trick is to keep your barbecue pit at a constant medium temperature of about 325 degrees F. To do this, Lou keeps a second pit or fire box going nearby to burn oak logs down to coals so that he can simply add these wood coals to the pit while he slow-smokes or braises in the pit. If you don’t have time to tend a fire pit, Lou says to just cook these “bad boys” in your oven and enjoy the tender richness of a properly braised beef short rib. Most beef short ribs have about 8-inch rib bones.  Tell your butcher that you want the  slabs of ribs cut down the middle on his meat saw to end up with slabs with about 4 inch rib bones.   Serves 8 to 10   Rub: 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup chili powder 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons ground black pepper 1 tablespoon ground coffee   6 pounds beef short ribs, split in half   1/4 cup olive oil 2 medium onion, roughly chopped 6 stalks celery, roughly chopped 4 large carrots, roughly chopped 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 5 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped 3 (12-ounce) bottles dark beer   Combine the rub ingredients in a bowl; set aside 2 tablespoons for later use. Liberally season the ribs with the rub and allow to sit 15 to 30 minutes prior to cooking.   Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. Over a hot fire, sear seasoned ribs on each side about 2 minutes until crispy and golden. Set aside.   In a large dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and stir until the vegetables soften just slightly and have a little color. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the ribs to the pot and push into the vegetables. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of the rub mixture and pour the beer over the mixture. Bring to a simmer. Place the pot in barbecue smoker or a 325*F oven and cook, uncovered, about 4 to 5 hours, stirring every 45 minutes to an hour.   If the mixture becomes dry or the ribs look really dark, add a little water or simply cover the pot. Cook until fork-tender. Remove from the fire or oven and allow to cool a little. Skim grease from the meat and transfer the ribs to a serving terrine or platter and pour the vegetables over the meat. Serve. While we aren’t ready to divulge recipes yet from the Big Ranch, Big City cookbook – they’re still in refinement stages, as the book isn’t in bookstores until fall 2011 – we can share a recipe that Lou Lambert wrote for my recent cookbook with Grady Spears, Cooking the Cowboy Way. We produced our Big Bend chapter out at one of Lou’s ranches near Marfa, Texas; this is a recipe Lou made and we photographed on site. It captures Lou’s food sensibilities just perfectly.

It’s a goody, so enjoy!

SMOKED-BRAISED SHORT RIBS
This rib recipe combines two of Lou’s favorite  cooking techniques, smoking and braising. The trick is to keep your barbecue pit at a constant medium temperature of about 325 degrees F. To do this, Lou keeps a second pit or fire box going nearby to burn oak logs down to coals so that he can simply add these wood coals to the pit while he slow-smokes or braises in the pit. If you don’t have time to tend a fire pit, Lou says to just cook these “bad boys” in your oven and enjoy the tender richness of a properly braised beef short rib. Most beef short ribs have about 8-inch rib bones.  Tell your butcher that you want the  slabs of ribs cut down the middle on his meat saw to end up with slabs with about 4 inch rib bones.
 
Serves 8 to 10
 
Rub:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coffee
 
6 pounds beef short ribs, split in half
 
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium onion, roughly chopped
6 stalks celery, roughly chopped
4 large carrots, roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
5 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 (12-ounce) bottles dark beer
 
Combine the rub ingredients in a bowl; set aside 2 tablespoons for later use. Liberally season the ribs with the rub and allow to sit 15 to 30 minutes prior to cooking.
 
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. Over a hot fire, sear seasoned ribs on each side about 2 minutes until crispy and golden. Set aside.
 
In a large dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and stir until the vegetables soften just slightly and have a little color. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the ribs to the pot and push into the vegetables. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of the rub mixture and pour the beer over the mixture. Bring to a simmer. Place the pot in barbecue smoker or a 325*F oven and cook, uncovered, about 4 to 5 hours, stirring every 45 minutes to an hour.
 
If the mixture becomes dry or the ribs look really dark, add a little water or simply cover the pot. Cook until fork-tender. Remove from the fire or oven and allow to cool a little. Skim grease from the meat and transfer the ribs to a serving terrine or platter and pour the vegetables over the meat. Serve.

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