Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Beef Short Ribs
I’m presenting to you the recipe for one of the best dishes I’ve ever made in a crock pot: Korean-style beef short ribs.
I have made this many times over now. I’ve even tried it using cheaper cuts like chuck roast and rump roast. Those worked out okay (though the meat really dries out before its soak in the juice at the end), but they are nowhere as delicious as the short rib version.
It turns out amazing whether you use boneless or bone-in ribs–a mix is a great way to go, too! Don’t trim the fat. You want all that flavor. The end result is a sauce that tastes like you added red wine, but you didn’t. It’s like MAGIC.
Seriously, these ribs taste like something from a great Asian restaurant. Pair it with some broccoli and a good spoonful of the sauce, and YUM.
Whenever I see beef short ribs go on sale, I do a little dance of joy because it means I get to make this recipe again.
Modified from Heather’s Bytes.
Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 Tb sesame oil
- 2 Tb rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 lbs beef short ribs boneless, bone-in, or a mix
- 1-2 Tb cornstarch
- sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Place the ribs in a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker; pour the sauce over them. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 9 hours. Depending on how the ribs are stacked in the cooker, you may want to quickly stir them at some point halfway through.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the ribs from the cooker. Place a tablespoon of corn starch in a small bowl and add some juice from the cooker. Whisk them together to create a slurry without lumps, and add back into the crock pot. Stir. If the juice doesn't start to thicken, repeat the process with some more corn starch.
- Either keep the ribs intact, or pull meat into chunks and discard the bones and fat. Place meat in cooker again on WARM setting for 10 minutes or so to soak in flavors. Serve. Great with rice, broccoli, and perhaps a sprinkling of sesame seeds!
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Yeasted Waffles
If you’re in need of a quick-fix breakfast, whip up a batch of these yeasted waffles! Chill the batter for at least 4 hours and you can start using it; the batter can stay in the fridge up to 3 days.
I was really impressed with how this batter kept, too. I noticed no difference in the taste for day to day, and I kept it chilled for the 3 day max stated in the original Eating Well recipe.
That said, these do taste different than normal waffles. There’s yeast in there! I found them to have a slightly sourdough flavor, which was not off-putting in the slightest.
Like any homemade waffles, the cooked waffles also keep very well frozen between layers of waxed paper. You stick the frozen waffles straight into the toaster like you would the store-bought version.
No matter how quickly these waffles are cooked up, they make for a convenient and delicious breakfast!
Modified from the original from the March/April 2016 Eating Well Magazine.
Bready or Not: Yeasted Waffles
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups almond milk or other milk
- 6 Tablespoons butter cut into pieces
- 3 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour, or mix
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast 1 packet
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter over medium until the butter is melted. Set aside to let cool until it's just warm, about 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add in the milk mixture followed by the eggs and vanilla extract. Stir together until just combined.
- Refrigerate the batter for at least 4 hours, or up to 3 days.
- Preheat waffle iron. Gently stir the batter to reconstitute. Use about scant 1/2 cup of batter for each waffle; the waffles will expand as they cook, and the iron might overflow on the first attempts you get a feel for the right amount to pour in.
- Return any unused batter to the fridge for later enjoyment. Cooked waffles can also be frozen.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef
For this day after Valentine’s Day, we’re not talking chocolate or sweets. Instead, let’s go straight for a big chunk of meat: using a chili and coffee rub to make sliced roast beef!
I was pretty intimidated the first time I tried a basic recipe for this dish. It didn’t help that it made way too much rub, which I tried to use up anyway, which meant the roast started smoldering like a log when it started cooking. Whoops.
Despite the hassles, my husband loved the end result, so I resolved to re-do the recipe and get it right. I think my husband’s feedback on each iteration was just a big hint to keep making these roasts.
He likes these served up as sliders. On a piece of aluminum foil, I use my dinner rolls, add a piece or two of meat, a dollop of coarse mustard, and a sprinkling of shredded cheese. I close the rolls and pour some melted butter on top, wrap the sliders in the foil, then bake until the cheese is melted. Perfection.
I think this roast beef has spoiled us. This recipe gives you the freshest meat possible, and if you catch eye of round roasts on sale, whoa is this a bargain!
Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon dried onion
- 1 orange zested and juiced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons coffee finely ground
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 - 2 1/2 pound eye of round roast
Instructions
- Move your middle oven rack down a slot to be near the bottom and preheat oven to 475-degrees. Use a small roasting pan, or prepare a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place a rack on top of it. Apply nonstick spray.
- Combine the first seven ingredients in a small bowl. If the rub is too thick, add a touch more orange juice or water. Spread the mixture all over the roast.
- Bake meat for 12 minutes, then turn it over and bake for another 12 minutes. It may start smoking because of the thick seasoning on the meat; if so, turn on the vent and keep an eye on things.
- Without opening the oven, reduce heat to 300-degrees. Roast for another 30 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 120-degrees in the center.
- Let the meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Don't remove the crusted seasonings.
- Wrap the roast in parchment paper and then encase in plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for 8 hours or overnight.
- Serve the meat by cutting it into thin slices. Serve in hot or cold sandwiches, wraps, on crackers, or eat straight out of hand.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs
You know I love maple-flavored sweets. Maple works in a savory way, too–and creates meaty magic in this recipe for Maple Chicken Thighs.
This is some seriously good chicken. It marinates for up to a day in the fridge, resulting in tender, lightly-sweetened chicken. It does not create a heavy glaze and it’s not like teriyaki. It is… just plain delicious.
Honestly, I think the leftovers are even better. This chicken is phenomenal cut up in a salad or used with a touch of dressing in a wrap.
This is yet another recipe inspired from the cookbook Maple by Katie Webster. (Seriously, if you love maple, get this book.) The original version of this recipe included shallots (which I never buy) and apples and pears (which I knew my husband wouldn’t want with his supper).
Give this chicken recipe a try, and discover a new way to love maple!
Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 green onions white parts only, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1/2 - 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs each thigh cut into thirds
Instructions
The day or night before serving
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider/juice, maple syrup, vinegar, white portions of green onions, ginger, thyme, salt, and pepper. In a gallon-size re-sealable bag, place the cut-up chicken. Pour in the marinade and seal the bag.
- Refrigerate the bag for 12-24 hours, turning the bag every so often.
To cook
- Preheat oven at 425-degrees. Place the chicken in a 13x9 baking dish with all or some of the marinade; the chicken shouldn't be fully covered.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, turning chicken once at the halfway point.
- Chicken is fabulous fresh and as leftovers! Cooked chicken can also be portioned and frozen.
OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad
Bready or Not has featured a whole lot of sweets in recent weeks. Let’s switch to something delicious and healthy instead: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad.
This still has a little bit of sweetness going on. Butternut squash is naturally awesome that way, and a sprinkling of cranberries adds some extra oomph. Add some pecans for crunch and feta because CHEESE, and this creates a bowl of happiness. The quinoa adds protein and kinda enjoys the ride along with all the other flavors.
I cobbled this together from several other recipes. I wanted something that I could invest some time in and then use as a quick-fix dinner for several more days. I parcel it into three or four containers, depending on the size of the squash, and my meals are set! Or, you could use this as a gluten-free main dish or side dish to feed a group.
I can offer a few useful tips, too. I cook quinoa in my Zojirushi rice cooker. One cup of uncooked quinoa makes a LOT once its cooked, more than my salad recipe requires, but cooked quinoa keeps well in the fridge and can also be frozen and thawed weeks later without any issue.
If you’re intimidated by cutting butternut squash, there is a safe and easy way to do it!
Next week’s Bready or Not officially kicks off my October-November tradition of pumpkin and autumn-themed recipes! Time to bust out the stretchy pants.
Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash
- olive oil or avocado oil
- sprinkle pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 425-F.
- Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spread out the chopped squash and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle spices of choice and some salt. Roast squash for 20 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, measure out the cranberries and place in a small bowl. Cover the cranberries with water and let them soak. Measure out the pecans.
- When the 20 minutes is up, toss the squash in the pan. Drain the water from the cranberries, discarding water. Add the plumped cranberries and pecans to the squash, and season more, if desired. Cook another 10 minutes or so, until butternut squash is fork tender with roasted coloration.
- Transfer the pan's contents to a large bowl. Gently stir in the quinoa. Serve hot or stash in fridge for later, and heat with microwave. Add sprinkle of feta just before serving.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Cato BBQ Rib Rub
Today I’m providing my personal favorite, tested-a-gazillion times rub recipe for pork ribs.
How you cook the ribs is up to you. My husband has a smoker, so he smokes these things for hours for delicious, succulent results.
However, using this rub, you could barbecue ribs on a grill, or bake them in the oven. The choice is yours!
The amounts stated in this recipe will cover about 5 pounds of meat. If you have leftover mix that hasn’t been in contact with raw meat, jar it and save it for later. You can also double or triple the recipe with that in mind.
I have made this with several types of paprika. I favor smoked paprika, but all kinds worked well. I have also made this with fresh oregano and dried. You could certainly substitute or add other herbs, too.
Whenever I find ribs on a good sale, we use this recipe. It’s one we often make for when company comes over, too. Everyone leaves full and happy!
Bready or Not: Cato BBQ Rib Rub
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons paprika any variety
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar packed
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano or 1/2 Tablespoon fresh oregano
- 1 Tablespoon ground coffee
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Combine rub ingredients well, making sure to break up any clumps. Coat the meat, front and back.
- Cook ribs as desired: smoke, grill, or bake.
- OM NOM NOM!
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