Beef Short Ribs with Gravy

3 Beef Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Mushroom & Onion Gravy on a red plate.

Slow Roasted Beef Short Ribs

If you’ve ever wondered why the large beef ribs don’t have much meat on their bones, it’s because they’re the rib bones that are cut away from Prime Rib/Ribeye steaks. So, if any more meat was left on the bones, it would take away from those steaks. To get a meaty Beef Rib, you need to pick up some short ribs. They usually weigh about 4 lbs but they slow roast and/or smoke beautifully.

That being said, this is one of the best and easiest ways to prepare Beef Short Ribs, without a lot of hassle. There’s hardly any prep work, a little bit of after cooking to make the gravy but the hardest thing about this recipe is the waiting. It takes 10 hours to cook these ribs, in a slow cooker, to get them juicy and tender. But, it’s worth it!

1 package of raw Beef Short Ribs, wrapped in plastic, with a detailed sticker of the contents, weight & price.

Purchasing Beef Short Ribs

Sometimes these cuts aren’t easy to find and if you find them they can be a bit pricey. They’re often cut into singles with an average of 8 Riblet portions but, sometimes, the ribs can be bought as a whole. If you’re lucky, you have a butcher that will cut them by your request or, at least, offer both.

If you can’t find short ribs or you need a cheaper alternative, I suggest you purchase a thick Beef Chuck that can be cut into rib size portions, with all of the connection tissue, that could imitate good short ribs. We’ll call it, Poor Man’s Beef Short Ribs!

Beef Short Ribs are very meaty and popular among barbecue enthusiasts because of it. They are terrific when they’re smoked on a grill and just good but different, if they’re slow roasted in the oven or in a Slow Cooker. Today, I’m going to show you a simple method I like to use in my old school Crock Pot.

8 raw Beef Short Ribs on a foam packaging plate, on the counter top.

Roasting Short Ribs

Rib meat can be very tough when it’s cooked at higher temperatures for shorter amounts of time. That’s why the prefered method is to smoke or roast for a slow amount of time and at lower temps. Both smoking and roasting embrace this methodology and I’m a big fan of the process, myself.

My Crock Pot (slow cooker), however, is old. Like 80’s old but that’s the era that made the best slow cookers. They have a heavy glass lid that traps the steam in so you don’t have to add any liquid to keep the meat from drying out. If you’ve got one of the newer slow cookers, that requires the addition of liquid as you roast, then you need to follow those cooking instructions along with this recipe, to get the same results.

Large white bowl filled with all of the cooked Beef Short Ribs and bits of Mushroom, Onion and Bell Pepper.

I season and sear all of the Beef Short Ribs, in a pan with Olive Oil, before I add them to the Crock Pot. Then I add chopped onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and parsley. Again, no liquid unless your slow cooker requires it. After 10 hours of cooking on low, I separate the Ribs from the liquid (above pic).

Large pan with Garlic Mushroom, Onion and Bell Pepper Brown Gravy, made from the Beef Short Ribs Roast.
Making the Gravy

I use the liquid, from the crock pot to make the gravy. I make a small garlic and butter based roux before I add the liquid, including all of the chopped and roasted veggies. If a deeper and more complex flavor is desired, a splash of red wine or a small amount of tomato paste can be added. I’ve had it both ways, they’re both great but I prefer it without either.

How to cook Beef Short Ribs with Gravy video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Beef Short Ribs with Gravy Ingredients:

4 lbs Beef Short Ribs
1 Onion, sliced or diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced or diced
2 oz Button or Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
1 sprig Fresh Parsley, chopped

Lightly season Beef with Kosher Salt and Pepper

Gravy Ingredients:

1 Garlic Clove, chopped
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Flour, all purpose
Slow Cooker Liquid & Vegetables

1/2 cup Red Wine, optional
1/3 cup Tomato Sauce, optional

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Season the Beef Short Ribs with Kosher Salt and Pepper, then sear all sides in a hot pan. Add sliced Onion, Bell Pepper, chopped mushrooms and parsley to the slow cooker, topped with the seared short ribs. Cook on low for 10 hours.

Extract the Beef Ribs from the pot and start cooking the Gravy in a large pan on the stove. Start with the butter, then add the garlic and flour. Stir for 1 minute until it’s pasty and starts to brown. Then add the slow cooker juice including all of it’s contents; onions, peppers, mushrooms and parsley. Cook and stir over High heat, until the gravy thickens, then turn the burner down to low. Serve Beef Short Ribs
and Gravy over mashed potatoes.

Chili Colorado | Chili Con Carne

Chili Colorado made with beef cheek meat, served with steamed white rice, green onions and Cilantro.

Mexican Beef Chili

Most Texans believe they have the best chili in the world and they’re not wrong but there are some other Beef Chili recipes out there that have become an American Staple on Mexican Food. This Chili Colorado or Chili Con Carne, as it’s known in Tex Mex, is a great example. It’s origins, however, derive their flavor from the Chili Colorado, which means, ” Red Chili”; hence the name.

Stainless Steel bowl with a dozen Guajillo Chili’s.

The Chili Sauce Peppers

The very essence of this recipe comes from the flavor of the Chili Peppers that are cooked down and blended together, with a few other ingredients. Being that this recipe is called, “Chili Colorado” it would be assumed that the Colorado Chili should be used and, technically, that’s true but there are a few others that can be used that are practically the same thing.

California and Guajillo Chilis can be used as well. The only main difference is that they technically belong to different pepper families, though, all portraying that beautiful burgundy hugh that gives this recipe it’s rich color and flavor.

Though, 3/4 of the dried peppers I use in this recipe are red chili’s, it’s quite common to add a few dried Pasilla pods as well. These peppers are much darker and look and smell like a cross between a pepper and a prune. All of which are de-seeded and have the stems removed, before cooking.

40 oz of red chili sauce in a large container and spoonful of sauce.
2.75 lbs of cubed and seasoned beef cheek meat in a large stainless steel bowl.

The Beef you should use

In this recipe I’m using Beef Cheek Meat, which takes a lot longer to tenderize when it’s cooking. In fact, unlike how I demonstrate in the video tutorial, it took me 6 hours of braising to get this meat to break down the connective tissue and become tender enough to eat. Big but here, though, the flavor Cabasa or “Cheek Meat” gives off is stronger, like lamb or venison. If you have either of those available, for a good price, I recommend using those instead. Otherwise, for this recipe, stick with a couple of lbs of Beef Chuck.

Chili Colorado/Chili Con Carne, in a large pot, ready to be served.
How to make Chili Colorado video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.
How to make Red Chili Sauce video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.
Chili Colorado Ingredients:

4 to 5 lbs Beef Chuck, cut into 1″ to 2″ inch pieces

Guajillo or Chili Sauce

12 Guajillo Chili pods, stemmed and de-seeded
3 Pasilla Chili pods, stemmed and de-seeded
3 qt. Water
5 Cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Knorr Chicken Bouillon
1 tbsp Cumin, ground
1 tbsp Mexican Oregano, dried
Adobe All Purpose seasoning to taste (1/4 to 1/2 tsp)

Meat and Seasoning

Beef, Pork or Chicken

Kosher Salt and Pepper, evenly sprinkle
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika, evenly sprinkle (optional)
1 tbsp Ground Cumin, evenly sprinkle (optional)

Sear seasoned meat ,10 to 12 minutes, under Broiler or in a pan or on a Grill. Then Braise in Guajillo Sauce 1 1/2, lid on, another 1/2 hour, lid off to reduce sauce, if needed. Otherwise, keep the lid on. 2 hours full cook time.

This is great, served with steamed rice or in tacos and burritos.

Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage

Large dish with green Basil Pesto Radiatore Pasta cooked with breakfast sausage.

The Best Pesto Pasta

If you’ve never had Pesto or you did and didn’t think you liked it, doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like it prepared differently. Pesto is an Italian sauce/paste that is 5 basic ingredients that can be improved or lessoned upon, depending on your desired tastes. Thos ingredients are Basil, Garlic, Pine or Almond nuts, Garlic, Olive oil, Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Depending on how much you add of each can change the desired outcome of the pesto, completely. That’s why, today, I’m going to offer you 2 different recipes for this pasta.

1 lb of Cooked Jimmy Dean Sausage in a large pan on the stove.

Protein for your Pesto Pasta

Whether you realize this or not, most Italian sauce recipes require a specific pasta. Pesto, for example needs a pasta that has texture and grip. That’s why it’s good to use pastas like Penne, Fusilli, Cavatappi or Radiatore pasta, just like I use in this recipe. These noodles hold the sauce in there grooves and it’s just as important to choose which protein, best fits your dish.

In this recipe, I’ve chosen a simple breakfast sausage but Pesto is very versatile. You can use Veil, Lamb, Shrimp & Scallops or something simple, like chicken. Just be sure to cook the meat, all the way through before adding all of the other ingredients.

How to cook Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage Ingredients:

12 oz Pasta, Radiatore, Penne or Shells
1 lb Ground Breakfast Sausage, cooked
4 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
3/4 cup Pesto

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Basil Pesto Recipe

2 oz Basil, no stems
2 Garlic cloves, ground
1/4 cup whole Almonds, ground
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup Olive Oil, extra virgin
1/2 tsp Pink Salt, Himalayan or Kosher

Here is the recipe for the alternate Pesto Sauce. Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Basil Pesto Pasta with Sausage.