grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Bone-in Short Ribs. Amazing.

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Bone-in Short Ribs

Looking for something special to cook that special someone? This recipe for bone-in short ribs made my husband swoon during the Christmas holidays, so it may just work for your romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.

Since I had never made bone-in short ribs, I read various recipes before coming up with my own—not that I thought I could improve upon greatness.  I simply wanted to use what I had on hand (like shallots and apples) instead of making another trip to the grocery store for additional ingredients (like pancetta). I’m lazy resourceful that way.

My bone-in-short ribs turned out amazing. Falling-off-the-bone-tender. I’ll be making this again soon!

 

Bone-in Short Ribs. Amazing.

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 8 bone-in short ribs
  • 2 tablespoons bacon drippings or olive oil
  • 3 carrots diced
  • 1/2 medium white onion chopped
  • 2 shallots chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic diced
  • 1/2 Honeycrisp apple diced
  • 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • sea salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
Step 1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously salt and pepper the ribs. Spray a dutch oven with non-stick spray and heat bacon drippings on high. (You do have bacon drippings, don’t you? If not, fry up a few pieces of bacon or use olive oil…) Brown ribs in hot oil about 2 minutes per side. Brown in batches if necessary to avoid crowding. Remove and set aside.
Bone-in ribs
Step 2

In the same pan with the oil, cook onions, shallots, garlic, apple and carrots on medium-high heat. (I love Honeycrisp apples and happened to have one so I threw it in. It added a nice sweetness to the mix.)

Let the veggies hang out in the pan and caramelize. This step will take a few minutes. Your kitchen will already smell amazing. When the carrot mixture is softened and caramelized, add the fire-roasted tomatoes and cook another few minutes.

veggies for bone-in ribs

Step 3

Add wine and bring to a boil. Let reduce five minutes or so then add broth, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Simmer another 10-15 minutes so all the flavors blend together.

Step 4
Add ribs to the dish and pop it in the oven (covered) for 2-2.5 hours. Turn meat a couple of times during roasting, otherwise leave it in peace to quietly roast.

Reduce heat to 325 degree and cook another 30-45 minutes uncovered to thoroughly brown (almost char).

short ribs roasting 
Step 5

Let the meat rest (covered) 20-30 minutes before serving. This allows all the juices to redistribute back into the meat, otherwise it will spill out onto your plate leaving the meat dry. Spoon the juicy bits on top to serve.

In short, amazingness.

Grace Grits and Gardening

 

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

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My recipe for sweet and spicy chicken wings is sure to be a crowd pleaser at your Super Bowl party this weekend. (Or for supper tonight…) The marinade is easy to make and the chicken grills up in no time. Alternatively, if the weather outside is frightful where you live, these wings will be just as tasty roasted in the oven.

sweet and spicy chicken wings

Ingredients

  • 2.5 pounds chicken wings/drumettes
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup agave
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • chopped green onions (garnish)

Method

Mix all the ingredients together (except green onions). Pour into a large plastic bag with chicken. Brine overnight in the refrigerator or at least 6-8 hours.

My husband grilled these on his Big Green Egg. They cooked really quickly—in less than fifteen minutes. If you prefer to cook in the oven, roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until juices run clear.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings on the Big Green Egg

Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

chicken wings

So….Seattle or Denver?

Grace Grits and Gardening

Musical Pairing:

Are You Ready for Some Football? Hank Williams, Jr.

 

Spicy Vegetable Soup

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spicy veggie soupToday my Spicy Vegetable Soup is featured on Foodie Friday at Arkansas Women Bloggers. I tore this recipe from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine years ago before recipes were published on the internet. That’s how long I’ve been making this Spicy Vegetable Soup which is easily one of the most requested recipes in my family. With a slice of hot cornbread it’s perfection on a cold winter day.

And bonus—it’s simple.

I call this a cheater recipe because the base ingredients include Ro-tel and Ragu Chunky spaghetti sauce. Everything you’ll need for this yummy soup is probably already in your pantry or freezer. For the recipe and step by step method, click HERE and meet me at Arkansas Women Bloggers.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!