Each month, Joe recommends a few favorite recipes to get the most out of the beef and pork that our Buyer's Club members receive in their monthly shares.
This month we feature three delicious recipes:
- Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Beef Pot Roast with Gingersnap Gravy
- Beer Braised Short Ribs
...Bon Apetite!
Slow Cookers Carnitas
- 2 pounds boneless pork stew meat
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ to 1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
- 1 orange, cut in half
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Salt and pepper liberally. Mix the oregano and the cumin with olive oil and rub all over pork. Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add the two halves. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 hours.
Once the meat is tender, remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with a fork. In a large sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Press the carnitas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side. Serve with corn tortillas and fresh pico di gallo.
Beef Pot Roast with Gingersnap Gravy
- 3 lb beef rump roast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 medium onions, sliced into wedges
- 4 stalks celery, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 4 large carrots, sliced
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaf
- 6 whole cloves
- 6-8 gingersnap cookies
Season the Rump Roast with salt and pepper and brown with vegetable oil in a skillet. Place the roast and all the veggies into a slow cooker.
Tie the bay leaves and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth or a coffee filter and place in the slow cooker. Add the beef stock. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours until roast is tender and veggies are cooked.
Place roast on a platter with the veggies and cover to keep warm while you crush the gingersnaps into a fine crumb.
Put pan drippings from the roast in a saucepan with the crushed cookies and bring just to boil. Allow the gravy to thicken slightly and serve on the side of the roast.
Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs
- 2 lbs beef short ribs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 ounces dark beer
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
Slurry
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Heat the skillet on stove over Medium High heat. Mix the flour, salt and pepper on a plate and roll the Short Ribs in the mixture, coating them well.
Add oil to the skillet and then brown the short ribs on all sides. Remove them from the skillet place them in the slow cooker.
Add onions and garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Deglaze with beer using a spoon to scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add the beef stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Pour over short ribs in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender. Remove the short ribs from the slow cooker.
Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to create a slurry. Use the slurry to thicken the juices that remain in the slow cooker.
(Note: You can also make this recipe in a covered pan in the over at 350F for 1 ½ to 2 hours.)