Cube steak revelation: Cuban-style Bistec de Palomilla photo from the NYT I grew up eating cube steak, a cheap, thin cut of mechanically-tenderized beef. Calling it steak was a bit of a stretch, but it cooked up quickly for the Swiss steak dish that was a staple in my house: cube steak braised in tomatoes. When we got cube steak for the first time in our Herondale meat CSA bags recently, I poked around for something different to do with the cut. This recipe from the Times caught my eye because of the flavor profile: lime, garlic and onion. Additionally, I hoped the quick marinade would further tenderize the meat. This is basic weeknight fare, but definitely an improvement upon Swiss steak, in my opinion. Keep your eye on the meat and don’t overcook it. Bistec de Palomilla, adapted from the New York Times Ingredients 2 pounds cube steak, cut into 4 or 6 pieces 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Juice of 3 limes 4 cloves of garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (optional) Method 1. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Put steaks, juice from 2 limes and garlic in a 1-gallon zip-top bag or in a shallow glass pan or plate. Marinate for at least an hour (I did mine overnight.) 2. When ready to cook, put oil and butter in a heavy frying pan over medium heat. When butter stops foaming, add onions and sauté until soft and just starting to turn color, about 5 minutes. Remove onions to a bowl, cover with foil and set aside. 3. Turn heat under pan to medium-high. Add steaks, being sure not to crowd the pan and adding a little more olive oil if needed. Cook about 2 minutes per side, flipping when juices come to surface. Remove to a platter or individual plates. 4. Add any leftover pan juices to onions, along with juice from remaining lime, and parsley. Top steaks with onions.

Cube steak revelation: Cuban-style Bistec de Palomilla

photo from the NYT

I grew up eating cube steak, a cheap, thin cut of mechanically-tenderized beef. Calling it steak was a bit of a stretch, but it cooked up quickly for the Swiss steak dish that was a staple in my house: cube steak braised in tomatoes.

When we got cube steak for the first time in our Herondale meat CSA bags recently, I poked around for something different to do with the cut. This recipe from the Times caught my eye because of the flavor profile: lime, garlic and onion. Additionally, I hoped the quick marinade would further tenderize the meat.

This is basic weeknight fare, but definitely an improvement upon Swiss steak, in my opinion. Keep your eye on the meat and don’t overcook it.

Bistec de Palomilla, adapted from the New York Times

Ingredients

2 pounds cube steak, cut into 4 or 6 pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Juice of 3 limes

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (optional)

Method

1. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Put steaks, juice from 2 limes and garlic in a 1-gallon zip-top bag or in a shallow glass pan or plate. Marinate for at least an hour (I did mine overnight.)

2. When ready to cook, put oil and butter in a heavy frying pan over medium heat. When butter stops foaming, add onions and sauté until soft and just starting to turn color, about 5 minutes. Remove onions to a bowl, cover with foil and set aside.

3. Turn heat under pan to medium-high. Add steaks, being sure not to crowd the pan and adding a little more olive oil if needed. Cook about 2 minutes per side, flipping when juices come to surface. Remove to a platter or individual plates.

4. Add any leftover pan juices to onions, along with juice from remaining lime, and parsley. Top steaks with onions.

The April meat share from the Crossfit South Brooklyn/Herondale Farm CSA was delivered last night, and holy cow did we hit the jackpot. Many of my favorite cuts were included, and below I offer a recap of the recipes I’ve made with them. Beef short ribs 1. Short ribs provencale (oven method) 2. Short ribs braised in ancho-coffee sauce (oven method) 3. Slow cooker Korean short ribs (crock pot) 4. Charlotte K’s Asian short ribs (oven method) And if you’re a taco lover, you might try this: 5. Short rib tacos with chimichurri sauce Beef shanks (aka cross-cut shanks) Like bone-in short ribs, shanks need to be braised (cooked long and slow with a lot of liquid.) But the payoff is immense; the meat is delicious and tender. If you don’t have enough shanks for a recipe (you’ll need more than 2), either wait til you receive more, or supplement from your local butcher. This is one my very, very, very favorite recipes for any beef cut: 1. Peppered beef shanks in red wine (crock pot) 2. One of the many yummy things I did not eat on my Dominican vacation because the food was all Russian Immigrant Steamtable: Dominican sancocho 3. Butterflied leg of lamb This was me when I saw the lamb in my bag: I really, really love this cut. Especially grilled. But since I don’t have access to a grill year-round, I make it in the oven most of the time. You can rub any manner of spices on lamb; it loves Mediterranean flavors (any combination of garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and lemon) as well as the classic flavor pairing of mint. It’s also a good friend to both Middle Eastern and North African flavor profiles.  Basic method: 1. Marinate overnight. 2. Roast. 3. Profit. I strongly suggest you acquire a meat thermometer if you’re a beginner with roasting large cuts of meat. Eventually you will stop needing it, but it’s a very useful learning tool. I personally like my lamb rare so I take it out at 125 or so, and then let it rest,  but you should play around with that. Here’s a straightforward recipe from Serious Eats. Here’s another basic one from Epicurious; if you don’t eat white potatoes, simply substitute sweet potatoes. So that’s it for this month. Any CBSBK/Herondale CSA members who haven’t signed up to continue past April - contact the Farm now before all the slots fill up! Email info@herondalefarm.com.

The April meat share from the Crossfit South Brooklyn/Herondale Farm CSA was delivered last night, and holy cow did we hit the jackpot.

Many of my favorite cuts were included, and below I offer a recap of the recipes I’ve made with them.

Beef short ribs

1. Short ribs provencale (oven method)

2. Short ribs braised in ancho-coffee sauce (oven method)

3. Slow cooker Korean short ribs (crock pot)

4. Charlotte K’s Asian short ribs (oven method)

And if you’re a taco lover, you might try this:

5. Short rib tacos with chimichurri sauce

Beef shanks (aka cross-cut shanks)

Like bone-in short ribs, shanks need to be braised (cooked long and slow with a lot of liquid.) But the payoff is immense; the meat is delicious and tender. If you don’t have enough shanks for a recipe (you’ll need more than 2), either wait til you receive more, or supplement from your local butcher.

This is one my very, very, very favorite recipes for any beef cut:

1. Peppered beef shanks in red wine (crock pot)

2. One of the many yummy things I did not eat on my Dominican vacation because the food was all Russian Immigrant Steamtable: Dominican sancocho

3. Butterflied leg of lamb

This was me when I saw the lamb in my bag:

I really, really love this cut. Especially grilled. But since I don’t have access to a grill year-round, I make it in the oven most of the time.

You can rub any manner of spices on lamb; it loves Mediterranean flavors (any combination of garlic, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and lemon) as well as the classic flavor pairing of mint. It’s also a good friend to both Middle Eastern and North African flavor profiles. 

Basic method: 1. Marinate overnight. 2. Roast. 3. Profit.

I strongly suggest you acquire a meat thermometer if you’re a beginner with roasting large cuts of meat. Eventually you will stop needing it, but it’s a very useful learning tool. I personally like my lamb rare so I take it out at 125 or so, and then let it rest,  but you should play around with that.

Here’s a straightforward recipe from Serious Eats. Here’s another basic one from Epicurious; if you don’t eat white potatoes, simply substitute sweet potatoes.

So that’s it for this month. Any CBSBK/Herondale CSA members who haven’t signed up to continue past April - contact the Farm now before all the slots fill up! Email info@herondalefarm.com.

Yesterday, the lucky members of the Herondale Farm meat CSA picked up the first shares of the new year. You know what that means. Here’s what am I going to make with some of that meaty goodness. I’m on a mission to try new things every week, so none of these are recipes I’ve tested yet. I’ll post results when I do. If you try ‘em first, let me know and I’ll happily post your review and/or photos! 1. Ground beef: zaatar burgers. I’m a little obsessed with zaatar, a Middle Eastern spice blend you can either make yourself or buy at a place like Penzey’s.  Also in the queue: NomNomPaleo’s new Paleo Asian meatballs. I LOVE fish sauce. 2. Chorizo: sweet potato and sausage soup. A well-reviewed recipe I’ve been itching to try. I’ll just leave out the white potatoes and use a few more sweet. 3. Hot Italian sausage: Broccoli/cauliflower “riced” with spicy Italian sausage. 4. Lamb riblets: A little adventurous but I’m down: Spiced lamb riblets. Looks good, right? If you’re new to the CSA and to this blog, here’s a rundown of the most popular meat recipes that appeared here last year for the cuts most of us got yesterday. Ground Beef Easy: Paleo pumpkin chili and picadillo Fancy: Pastelon Pork Chops Failproof stovetop method Whole Chicken Making chicken broth from scratch A great winter soup using your homemade broth (broccoli soup: includes cheese) Another great winter soup using your homemade broth - parsnip, carrot and potato soup, no cheese. Swap the butter for another fat if you’re not eating butter right now. Steaks (Porterhouse, rib steak, sirloin, etc) How to cook a great steak, every time Beef Stew Meat My favorite beef stew - both potato- and noodle-free, naturally. Also for the newbies to this blog: here’s a round-up of all the KEEP CALM AND EAT PALEO recipe collections from last year. Go forth and cook! First edition - 1.5.2012 Second edition - 2.1.2012 Third edition - 3.9.2012 Fourth edition - 4.5.2012 Fifth edition - 5.3.2012 Sixth edition - 6.7.2012 Seventh edition - 8.16.2012 Eighth edition - 11.16.2012

Yesterday, the lucky members of the Herondale Farm meat CSA picked up the first shares of the new year.

You know what that means.

Here’s what am I going to make with some of that meaty goodness. I’m on a mission to try new things every week, so none of these are recipes I’ve tested yet. I’ll post results when I do. If you try ‘em first, let me know and I’ll happily post your review and/or photos!

1. Ground beef: zaatar burgers. I’m a little obsessed with zaatar, a Middle Eastern spice blend you can either make yourself or buy at a place like Penzey’s. 

Also in the queue: NomNomPaleo’s new Paleo Asian meatballs. I LOVE fish sauce.

2. Chorizo: sweet potato and sausage soup. A well-reviewed recipe I’ve been itching to try. I’ll just leave out the white potatoes and use a few more sweet.

3. Hot Italian sausage: Broccoli/cauliflower “riced” with spicy Italian sausage.

4. Lamb riblets: A little adventurous but I’m down: Spiced lamb riblets. Looks good, right?

If you’re new to the CSA and to this blog, here’s a rundown of the most popular meat recipes that appeared here last year for the cuts most of us got yesterday.

Ground Beef

Easy: Paleo pumpkin chili and picadillo

Fancy: Pastelon

Pork Chops

Failproof stovetop method

Whole Chicken

Making chicken broth from scratch

A great winter soup using your homemade broth (broccoli soup: includes cheese)

Another great winter soup using your homemade broth - parsnip, carrot and potato soup, no cheese. Swap the butter for another fat if you’re not eating butter right now.

Steaks (Porterhouse, rib steak, sirloin, etc)

How to cook a great steak, every time

Beef Stew Meat

My favorite beef stew - both potato- and noodle-free, naturally.

Also for the newbies to this blog: here’s a round-up of all the KEEP CALM AND EAT PALEO recipe collections from last year. Go forth and cook!

pot 2

  1. First edition - 1.5.2012
  2. Second edition - 2.1.2012
  3. Third edition - 3.9.2012
  4. Fourth edition - 4.5.2012
  5. Fifth edition - 5.3.2012
  6. Sixth edition - 6.7.2012
  7. Seventh edition - 8.16.2012
  8. Eighth edition - 11.16.2012
Meat you can eat with a spoon! Cross-cut beef shanks from the Herondale Farm meat CSA. Recipe adapted from thekitchn.com. I removed the toxic ingredients (vegetable oil, euw), corrected the meat ration (no main course for multiple people should have less than 2 lbs raw meat) and added other clarifications. Slow Cooker Peppered Beef Shank in Red Wineserves 4 to 6 3-5 as a main course, depending on how much meat you start with 3 to 5 pounds beef crosscut shank, fat trimmed away (I used 3 shanks; note that the weight includes the bones)Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepperVegetable or peanut oil Olive oil10 to 12 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped2 medium yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped1 large stalk celery, roughly chopped (or one large carrot)1 bay leaf1 rosemary sprig750 ml bottle inexpensive red wine 4 cups beef or chicken broth (beef is best, chicken will do)2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (don’t skip this) Method 1. Bring the defrosted shanks out of the fridge, cut them out of the packaging, and dry them thoroughly. 2. Prep your vegetables. 3. Heat a wide, heavy skillet (cast iron or enameled cast iron ( I used a Le Crueset dutch oven) over medium heat and coat the bottom of it with olive oil. 4. Liberally salt and pepper the shanks and sear them in a single layer until both sides of each piece of meat have a dark crust. 5. Remove the meat to the slow cooker, put the lid on, and set aside. 6. On the stove, turn the heat down to low and put the vegetables into the same pan. Cook at least 15 minutes, scraping up the fond, until the onions begin to color.  7. Add bay leaf, rosemary, red wine and broth to the pot, bring to a boil, them simmer for 15-20 min, until about 1/3 reduced. 8. Carefully pour that over the meat in the slow cooker, add the balsamic, and cook on LOW for at least 8 hours. I cooked today’s batch for 12. 9. Let the dish cool a bit in the slow cooker before you try to handle it.  10. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the meat and bones; make sure you get the marrow chunks (which may have slipped out) because they are delicious. Once the marrow is rescued from the bones, remove them from the dish. Clean them to use for stock. 11. Pour the sauce through a sieve or strainer, discarding the solids, if you’re fancy. Ignore the straining if you’re not. 12. Chill the meat and sauce separately. Skim the congealed fat off the sauce after chilling. 13. Reheat meat+sauce together. Taste for salt before serving.

Meat you can eat with a spoon! Cross-cut beef shanks from the Herondale Farm meat CSA.

Recipe adapted from thekitchn.com. I removed the toxic ingredients (vegetable oil, euw), corrected the meat ration (no main course for multiple people should have less than 2 lbs raw meat) and added other clarifications.

Slow Cooker Peppered Beef Shank in Red Wine
serves 4 to 6 3-5 as a main course, depending on how much meat you start with

3 to 5 pounds beef crosscut shank, fat trimmed away (I used 3 shanks; note that the weight includes the bones)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable or peanut oil Olive oil
10 to 12 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large stalk celery, roughly chopped (or one large carrot)
1 bay leaf
1 rosemary sprig
750 ml bottle inexpensive red wine 
4 cups beef or chicken broth (beef is best, chicken will do)
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (don’t skip this)

Method

1. Bring the defrosted shanks out of the fridge, cut them out of the packaging, and dry them thoroughly.

2. Prep your vegetables.

3. Heat a wide, heavy skillet (cast iron or enameled cast iron ( I used a Le Crueset dutch oven) over medium heat and coat the bottom of it with olive oil.

4. Liberally salt and pepper the shanks and sear them in a single layer until both sides of each piece of meat have a dark crust.

IMG_3313

5. Remove the meat to the slow cooker, put the lid on, and set aside.

6. On the stove, turn the heat down to low and put the vegetables into the same pan. Cook at least 15 minutes, scraping up the fond, until the onions begin to color. 

7. Add bay leaf, rosemary, red wine and broth to the pot, bring to a boil, them simmer for 15-20 min, until about 1/3 reduced.

8. Carefully pour that over the meat in the slow cooker, add the balsamic, and cook on LOW for at least 8 hours. I cooked today’s batch for 12.

9. Let the dish cool a bit in the slow cooker before you try to handle it. 

10. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the meat and bones; make sure you get the marrow chunks (which may have slipped out) because they are delicious. Once the marrow is rescued from the bones, remove them from the dish. Clean them to use for stock.

11. Pour the sauce through a sieve or strainer, discarding the solids, if you’re fancy. Ignore the straining if you’re not.

12. Chill the meat and sauce separately. Skim the congealed fat off the sauce after chilling.

13. Reheat meat+sauce together. Taste for salt before serving.

Picking up my monthly meat share makes me feel like a superstar. This is how I walked home with my stash tonight. Imagine what squats and milk would do to that. Anyway. Welcome to the May edition of Herondale Farm Meat CSA Recipes from a Person Who Lives on the Same Block as Beyonce’s Little Sister. If you didn’t know, that would be me. Now. I am not going to repeat the Deluxe Steak Method I’ve been posting about since this blog started. Instead, here’s some delicious shit to put on your steak  - ditch that nasty steak sauce, it’s full of additives, sugar and crap. Chimichurri Argentinian parsley and garlic sauce. Totally addictive. Stupid easy. Don’t make it more than an hour ahead, though. It doesn’t keep. Put it on your porterhouse (Rob’s favorite cut), your sirloin (mine), or your T-bone Burnett - any steak that you grill, broil or sear in your heritage vintage cast-iron skillet. Sirloin Tip Roast I was pleased as punch to pull this out of my bag. Apparently I wasn’t the only one; I caught Corbett cradling his protectively after he finished his deadlifts.  Anytime you cook a roast like this, please take it out of the fridge and out of the packaging an hour or two before you begin cooking it. 1. Herb-rubbed sirloin tip roast This recipe has 802 reviews, zero bullshit ingredients, and good instructions. I wouldn’t use a baking sheet like they suggest (I’d use my vintage heritage Griswold cast iron skillet) but you are welcome to do so. Since I prefer medium-rare, I’d use my meat thermometer to take the roast out once it registered 135 in the center of the roast. 2. Simple Grass-fed Sirloin Tip Roast This nice lady has some how-to photos, a slightly simpler herb rub, and some thoughts on the differences in cooking times for grass-fed meat.  Beef Cross-Cut Shanks/Soup Shanks Pretty sure these are the same cut. Confirmed with the farm - they are the same thing. We already talked about these here - option 1, the red wine recipe, is one of my favorite recipes of the year.  Please try it. After you suck all the meat off the bones, rinse them, and either make stock right away, or toss them into a ziplock and back into the freezer for stock later. Pork Chops I adore the chops from Herondale. I went on a heritage Hungarian “Mangalitsa” pork kick when the meat first appeared in New York about a year and a half ago, and spent a small fortune on Mangalitsa pork chops. They cook up red, like beef, and are very delicate tasting. But honestly? I like the chops from Herondale better. Chops are the perfect weeknight supper. Regardless of your participation in the CSA, you should always, always, always have some in your freezer. I always cook mine in a hot, dry cast-iron skillet, and I’ve never felt the need to brine them. I told you about my foolproof method here. On the side, I love cold raw sauerkraut straight from the jar. Oh my god. I’m getting emotional. Cabbage season is kind of over, but if you’re attached to it the way I am, you might not care. So you could also serve your chops with braised red cabbage with bacon.  Guacamole is another natural side dish for pork chops. Dave Byrd makes a killer guac. This time of year, I’d saute up some asparagus to cuddle up to my chops. You should try that. Stew Meat We discussed this already. Please refer to p. 365 of your manual. If you make any of these, won’t you please let me know what you think? Especially if you agree with me that Epicurious’ Hearty Beef Stew with Green Peas and Carrots is a motherfucking home run?  Hot Italian Sausage I will give five dollars to anyone who tries this: Beer-simmered grilled Italian sausages (Note: sub olive oil for vegetable oil. Actually, if you even still OWN vegetable oil, give me the five dollars back.)  What I usually do with Italian sausages is fry them for breakfast, split open. Best thing to make with them?  Sweet potato home fries cooked in bacon fat Ingredients: Sweet potatoes (2 medium potatoes per person) Duck fat Salt Directions: 1. Peel 2 sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler. 2. Grate them on the large holes of a box grater (or use the grating attachment on your food processor.) 3. Over medium-low heat, heat enough duck fat in the bottom of a cast iron skillet to liberally cover the surface of the pan. 4. When the fat is melted, crumble the potato shards into the pan, salt them lightly, and stir to coat. Flatten them with a spatula. 5. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to brown and clump up. Let them get a bit crispy, then flip and repeat. Cook them until they are as brown as you like, tasting repeatedly because the flavor will amaze you. 6. Eat them with your sausages. 7. Thank me when you see me. Well, that’s it for this month - the last month of the current Herondale meat CSA cycle. Sign up via the gym if you want in for the new cycle, which begins in June and runs through November. In closing, Solange Knowles thanks you for your patronage. She’s just another neighbor here on Union Street, where we chillin’ with the stinky gingko, the Brooklyn pigeons, and fifteen pounds a month of grass-fed heaven.

Picking up my monthly meat share makes me feel like a superstar. This is how I walked home with my stash tonight.

Imagine what squats and milk would do to that.

Anyway.

Welcome to the May edition of Herondale Farm Meat CSA Recipes from a Person Who Lives on the Same Block as Beyonce’s Little Sister.

If you didn’t know, that would be me.

Now.

I am not going to repeat the Deluxe Steak Method I’ve been posting about since this blog started. Instead, here’s some delicious shit to put on your steak  - ditch that nasty steak sauce, it’s full of additives, sugar and crap.

Chimichurri

Argentinian parsley and garlic sauce. Totally addictive. Stupid easy. Don’t make it more than an hour ahead, though. It doesn’t keep. Put it on your porterhouse (Rob’s favorite cut), your sirloin (mine), or your T-bone Burnett - any steak that you grill, broil or sear in your heritage vintage cast-iron skillet.

Sirloin Tip Roast

I was pleased as punch to pull this out of my bag. Apparently I wasn’t the only one; I caught Corbett cradling his protectively after he finished his deadlifts. 

Anytime you cook a roast like this, please take it out of the fridge and out of the packaging an hour or two before you begin cooking it.

1. Herb-rubbed sirloin tip roast

This recipe has 802 reviews, zero bullshit ingredients, and good instructions. I wouldn’t use a baking sheet like they suggest (I’d use my vintage heritage Griswold cast iron skillet) but you are welcome to do so. Since I prefer medium-rare, I’d use my meat thermometer to take the roast out once it registered 135 in the center of the roast.

2. Simple Grass-fed Sirloin Tip Roast

This nice lady has some how-to photos, a slightly simpler herb rub, and some thoughts on the differences in cooking times for grass-fed meat. 

Beef Cross-Cut Shanks/Soup Shanks

Pretty sure these are the same cut. Confirmed with the farm - they are the same thing.

We already talked about these here - option 1, the red wine recipe, is one of my favorite recipes of the year.  Please try it.

After you suck all the meat off the bones, rinse them, and either make stock right away, or toss them into a ziplock and back into the freezer for stock later.

Pork Chops

I adore the chops from Herondale. I went on a heritage Hungarian “Mangalitsa” pork kick when the meat first appeared in New York about a year and a half ago, and spent a small fortune on Mangalitsa pork chops. They cook up red, like beef, and are very delicate tasting.

But honestly? I like the chops from Herondale better.

Chops are the perfect weeknight supper. Regardless of your participation in the CSA, you should always, always, always have some in your freezer.

I always cook mine in a hot, dry cast-iron skillet, and I’ve never felt the need to brine them. I told you about my foolproof method here. On the side, I love cold raw sauerkraut straight from the jar. Oh my god. I’m getting emotional.

Cabbage season is kind of over, but if you’re attached to it the way I am, you might not care. So you could also serve your chops with braised red cabbage with bacon. 

Guacamole is another natural side dish for pork chops. Dave Byrd makes a killer guac.

This time of year, I’d saute up some asparagus to cuddle up to my chops. You should try that.

Stew Meat

We discussed this already. Please refer to p. 365 of your manual. If you make any of these, won’t you please let me know what you think? Especially if you agree with me that Epicurious’ Hearty Beef Stew with Green Peas and Carrots is a motherfucking home run? 

Hot Italian Sausage

I will give five dollars to anyone who tries this:

Beer-simmered grilled Italian sausages

(Note: sub olive oil for vegetable oil. Actually, if you even still OWN vegetable oil, give me the five dollars back.)

 What I usually do with Italian sausages is fry them for breakfast, split open. Best thing to make with them? 

Sweet potato home fries cooked in bacon fat

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes (2 medium potatoes per person)

Duck fat

Salt

Directions:

1. Peel 2 sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler.

2. Grate them on the large holes of a box grater (or use the grating attachment on your food processor.)

3. Over medium-low heat, heat enough duck fat in the bottom of a cast iron skillet to liberally cover the surface of the pan.

4. When the fat is melted, crumble the potato shards into the pan, salt them lightly, and stir to coat. Flatten them with a spatula.

5. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to brown and clump up. Let them get a bit crispy, then flip and repeat. Cook them until they are as brown as you like, tasting repeatedly because the flavor will amaze you.

6. Eat them with your sausages.

7. Thank me when you see me.

Well, that’s it for this month - the last month of the current Herondale meat CSA cycle. Sign up via the gym if you want in for the new cycle, which begins in June and runs through November.

In closing, Solange Knowles thanks you for your patronage. She’s just another neighbor here on Union Street, where we chillin’ with the stinky gingko, the Brooklyn pigeons, and fifteen pounds a month of grass-fed heaven.

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs (recipe from NomNomPaleo) This is what I woke up to this morning. The scent was gorgeous; a little vegetal, lots of ginger and garlic, all anchored in rich, beefy goodness. In other words, breakfast. My April bag from our Herondale Farm meat CSA had two hefty packages of English-style beef short ribs - enough for a whole recipe without supplementing from the butcher. I promised y’all I’d make the Korean-flavored short rib recipe I found on NomNomPaleo, and yesterday I finally got my act together.  The recipe does require a pre-searing step before the meat goes into the crock (she broils them, actually, which is unusual) but it’s worth it. I lined my broiling pan with foil and the clean-up was minimal. Coconut aminos have found their way into my pantry, so I already had a bottle ready for this recipe. But she also calls for coconut vinegar, which I didn’t have. A quick trip to the co-op solved the problem (it also cost way less than the bottles on Amazon) and I was very curious to taste this new addition to my admittedly large collection of vinegars. Predictably, it was tangy and delicious. You will not believe there’s no soy sauce in this dish when you taste it. It’s absolutely uncanny. NomNomPaleo has an extensive photo how-to for this recipe; please click through to see it. Her pictures are way better than mine. Here’s the obligatory “before” shot: Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs, adapted from NomNomPaleo Ingredients: 5-6 pounds of bone-in English-style grass-fed short ribs Kosher Salt freshly ground pepper 1 medium pear or Asian pear, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely 1/2 cup coconut aminos 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped 3 scallions, roughly chopped 1 hunk of ginger, about the size of your thumb, peeled cut into two pieces 2 teaspoons of fish sauce 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar (substitute: apple cider vinegar) 1 cup organic chicken broth Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro Method: 1. Preheat broiler and line the pan with foil. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with foil. 2. Salt and pepper the ribs and place them bone side up on the foil; broil for five minutes. Flip and broil five minutes more. 3. Remove and stack them on their sides in the crock pot. I had to lay the fourth strip on top of the others; it made no difference in the final texture of the meat. 4. Put the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, scallions, vinegar and fish sauce into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. 5. Pour the sauce over the ribs, add the chicken broth, and cook them on LOW for 8-11 hours. 6. When they are finished cooking, remove the ribs and put them on a platter. Use a method you like for defatting the liquid. Here’s what I did: poured all the liquid through a medium strainer into a gravy separator discarded the solids poured off the fat that rose to the top saved the resulting smooth, defatted liquid in a glass jar to serve with the meat You could also just refrigerate the sauce until the fat hardens, then skim it off. 7. When ready to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs (recipe from NomNomPaleo)

This is what I woke up to this morning. The scent was gorgeous; a little vegetal, lots of ginger and garlic, all anchored in rich, beefy goodness.

In other words, breakfast.

My April bag from our Herondale Farm meat CSA had two hefty packages of English-style beef short ribs - enough for a whole recipe without supplementing from the butcher.

I promised y’all I’d make the Korean-flavored short rib recipe I found on NomNomPaleo, and yesterday I finally got my act together. 

The recipe does require a pre-searing step before the meat goes into the crock (she broils them, actually, which is unusual) but it’s worth it. I lined my broiling pan with foil and the clean-up was minimal.

Coconut aminos have found their way into my pantry, so I already had a bottle ready for this recipe. But she also calls for coconut vinegar, which I didn’t have. A quick trip to the co-op solved the problem (it also cost way less than the bottles on Amazon) and I was very curious to taste this new addition to my admittedly large collection of vinegars. Predictably, it was tangy and delicious. You will not believe there’s no soy sauce in this dish when you taste it. It’s absolutely uncanny.

NomNomPaleo has an extensive photo how-to for this recipe; please click through to see it. Her pictures are way better than mine. Here’s the obligatory “before” shot:

Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs, adapted from NomNomPaleo

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 pounds of bone-in English-style grass-fed short ribs
  • Kosher Salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 medium pear or Asian pear, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely
  • 1/2 cup coconut aminos
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 scallions, roughly chopped
  • 1 hunk of ginger, about the size of your thumb, peeled cut into two pieces
  • 2 teaspoons of fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar (substitute: apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 cup organic chicken broth
  • Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Method:

1. Preheat broiler and line the pan with foil. Alternatively, line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Salt and pepper the ribs and place them bone side up on the foil; broil for five minutes. Flip and broil five minutes more.
3. Remove and stack them on their sides in the crock pot. I had to lay the fourth strip on top of the others; it made no difference in the final texture of the meat.
4. Put the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, scallions, vinegar and fish sauce into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
5. Pour the sauce over the ribs, add the chicken broth, and cook them on LOW for 8-11 hours.
6. When they are finished cooking, remove the ribs and put them on a platter. Use a method you like for defatting the liquid. Here’s what I did:
  • poured all the liquid through a medium strainer into a gravy separator
  • discarded the solids
  • poured off the fat that rose to the top
  • saved the resulting smooth, defatted liquid in a glass jar to serve with the meat
You could also just refrigerate the sauce until the fat hardens, then skim it off.

7. When ready to serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Shiksa Brisket, or, A worthy cheat: Not-quite-Paleo tangy spiced brisket in the crock pot Would I be willing to supply the protein for a nine-person Seder?  Sure, I said. Mentally, I reviewed the contents of my freezer. Most of what’s in there would horrify the attendees, I realized. The occasion called for decorum. I have some. Somewhere. I had to dig deep. Brisket, then. Obviously. It was easily procured, even just a few days before Passover. I’ve only made it very rarely, maybe twice, but it seemed bulletproof, and surely that’s what everyone was expecting.  The recipe research, however, was daunting.  I quickly found a recipe I had admired long ago and bookmarked, but then further searching spun me off in a million directions. As a non-Jew, I had no nostalgic attachment to any preparation, but felt not making a nominally traditional recipe might disappoint some of the guests. I couldn’t decide. Soon, I had ten, then twenty potential recipes.  So I fell back on a trick that has served me well; I simply reverted to my first impulse, closed all the other browser windows, and made my shopping list. This recipe contains quite a bit of sugar, which doubtless explains why it was the first one I wanted to make. The results were, predictably, outrageously good. If you want to Paleo-ize it, leave the brown sugar out and use sugar-free ketchup. Proceed, however, at your own risk. Tangy Spiced Brisket, adapted from Smitten Kitchen Conveniently, this recipe serves 8-10; I had to make it in two batches in my crock pot, so I halved *all* the ingredients for each batch.   Note that you MUST prepare this the day before; it both tastes ridiculously better the second day, and you need to chill it to defat it. It can be made several days in advance. See the link for the oven method, if you’d rather do that. Ingredients 3 large onions, sliced3 tablespoons olive oil6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved1 teaspoon paprika2 teaspoons salt1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder1/4 teaspoon cayenne  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano1/2 teaspoon dried thyme2 cups beef stock (unsalted or low salt; I didn’t have any homemade, so I used Progresso brand)1 cup ketchup1 cup Heinz chili sauce1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)8 to 10 pound brisket (I trimmed some of the fat off, and had the butcher cut it in half) Method Make the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and most of liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add halved garlic cloves and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in spices and seasoning (paprika, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, cayenne, oregano and thyme) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the beef stock, ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar. Place brisket in a slow cooker, spread onion mixture over the top, then pour sauce mixture over the entire dish. Cover with the lid and cook it on LOW for 10 hours. (I had to cut each half brisket in half again, and stack the halves in the crock pot.) When it’s done but still hot, skim off any large pieces of fat. Carefully remove the meat to a container. Strain the sauce: Strain the liquid in which the meat cooked through a sieve and discard the solids. Defat the sauce: If you have a gravy defatter, use it to pour off the liquid fat on top of the sauce. If you don’t, you can defat it after it’s chilled. Chill the meat and sauce separately in the fridge for a few hours, until the fat on top of the sauce hardens. (It’s the bright orange stuff.) Then scrape it off with a spoon, and discard. Reheat and serve: Put the meat and sauce into a large pot (I used a soup pot), cover, and reheat gently.

Shiksa Brisket, or, A worthy cheat: Not-quite-Paleo tangy spiced brisket in the crock pot

Would I be willing to supply the protein for a nine-person Seder? 

Sure, I said.

Mentally, I reviewed the contents of my freezer. Most of what’s in there would horrify the attendees, I realized. The occasion called for decorum. I have some. Somewhere.

I had to dig deep.

Brisket, then. Obviously. It was easily procured, even just a few days before Passover. I’ve only made it very rarely, maybe twice, but it seemed bulletproof, and surely that’s what everyone was expecting. 

The recipe research, however, was daunting. 

I quickly found a recipe I had admired long ago and bookmarked, but then further searching spun me off in a million directions. As a non-Jew, I had no nostalgic attachment to any preparation, but felt not making a nominally traditional recipe might disappoint some of the guests. I couldn’t decide. Soon, I had ten, then twenty potential recipes. 

So I fell back on a trick that has served me well; I simply reverted to my first impulse, closed all the other browser windows, and made my shopping list.

This recipe contains quite a bit of sugar, which doubtless explains why it was the first one I wanted to make. The results were, predictably, outrageously good.

If you want to Paleo-ize it, leave the brown sugar out and use sugar-free ketchup. Proceed, however, at your own risk.

Tangy Spiced Brisket, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

  • Conveniently, this recipe serves 8-10; I had to make it in two batches in my crock pot, so I halved *all* the ingredients for each batch.  
  • Note that you MUST prepare this the day before; it both tastes ridiculously better the second day, and you need to chill it to defat it. It can be made several days in advance.
  • See the link for the oven method, if you’d rather do that.

Ingredients

3 large onions, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne  
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups beef stock (unsalted or low salt; I didn’t have any homemade, so I used Progresso brand)
1 cup ketchup
1 cup Heinz chili sauce
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
8 to 10 pound brisket (I trimmed some of the fat off, and had the butcher cut it in half)

Method

Make the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and most of liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add halved garlic cloves and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in spices and seasoning (paprika, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, cayenne, oregano and thyme) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the beef stock, ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar.

Place brisket in a slow cooker, spread onion mixture over the top, then pour sauce mixture over the entire dish. Cover with the lid and cook it on LOW for 10 hours. (I had to cut each half brisket in half again, and stack the halves in the crock pot.)

When it’s done but still hot, skim off any large pieces of fat. Carefully remove the meat to a container.

Strain the sauce: Strain the liquid in which the meat cooked through a sieve and discard the solids.

Defat the sauce: If you have a gravy defatter, use it to pour off the liquid fat on top of the sauce. If you don’t, you can defat it after it’s chilled.

Chill the meat and sauce separately in the fridge for a few hours, until the fat on top of the sauce hardens. (It’s the bright orange stuff.) Then scrape it off with a spoon, and discard.

Reheat and serve: Put the meat and sauce into a large pot (I used a soup pot), cover, and reheat gently.

Charlotte K’s Chinese Five-Spice Short Rib Variation

There I was, thinking I’d solved ALL the problems by finally figuring out how to cook pork spare ribs in the crock pot.

A bunch of people tried that recipe successfully; most of them, like myself, had to acquire Chinese five-spice powder for the first time in order to make it.

Charlotte, however, has had Really Bad Luck with the crock pot.  I won’t share her stories because, frankly, they were harrowing. I don’t want to risk infecting anyone with the Sorrow of the Slow Cooker chez Charlotte.

But there she was, in possession of NINE POUNDS of beef short ribs (Linus is HUNGRY, y’all) and she wondered aloud to me: Could she substitute them for the pork spare ribs in the recipe I’d published?

I dunno, man. Spare ribs are kinda…spare. Short ribs, on the other hand, are meaty and succulent.  Plus, the aforementioned crockpot quackery.

It seemed risky.

Charlotte is resourceful, however, and she remembered a short rib recipe with the same five-spice powder, and decided to make it happen. The recipe was slow-cooker; Charlotte said “Oh hell no” and put them in the oven instead.

Result: Delicious.

williams sonoma ribs

via Williams Sonoma

Here’s the recipe sized for a regular family, with Charlotte’s notes and substitutions; if you are cooking for Linus, by all means, double it. If you want to read the original, written for the crock pot, follow the link.

Asian Braised Short Ribs, adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbs. whole Chinese five spice (or pre-ground)
  • 4 lb. bone-in beef short ribs
  • 2 to 3 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1⁄4-inch slices
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1⁄3 cup plum wine (Charlotte subbed plum vinegar; in a pinch, use red wine)
  • 1⁄3 cup soy sauce (Charlotte used tamari, which is easily acquired wheat-free)
  • 1⁄3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1⁄4 cup sesame oil
  • 1 Tbs. chili garlic paste (Charlotte says she planned to sub sriracha but ultimately left it out)
  • 2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
  • Zest of 1 orange, peeled with vegetable peeler
      into 1⁄2-inch strips, plus juice of 1 orange
  • 1⁄4 cup sugar dissolved in 3⁄4 cup boiling water use plain water or more wine

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375.

Using a spice grinder, grind the Chinese five spice. (If you have preground, measure it out.) Season the short ribs with the five spice and shake off the excess. 

In a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total, adding more oil to the pan if needed. Transfer to a slow cooker. 

Add more oil to the pan if needed. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the wine is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker  large Dutch oven along with the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili paste, ginger, orange zest, orange juice and sugar mixture. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours and place in a 375-degree oven for 3-3.5 hours. They are done when the meat is completely tender and falling of the bone; if you can pick up a hunk of meat without it falling off the fork or spoon, it’s not done.

Keep an eye on the liquid in the (covered) Dutch oven. Add more if it cooks down; you want the ribs mostly covered with liquid.

Spoon the fat off the sauce. Transfer the ribs and sauce to a serving bowl and serve with steamed rice Napa cabbage.

Note from me: these dishes are always better the second day. If you refrigerate this, a layer of fat will harden at the top of the dish. The next day, you can easily break it off and discard it, then reheat on stovetop, microwave, or oven.

March: in like a lion, out like a lamb. Really? We’ve had no winter to speak of. Isn’t it more like, in like a kitty cat, out like a hamster? In like a pet goldfish? Out like a big, soft, adoring Rottie mix who looks at you with deep brown eyes and centuries of empathy and obedience? Yes, this March is just like that. Welcome to the March edition of Help a Sister Out with Some Recipes Associated with the CFSBK-Herondale Farm Meat CSA. Here are my picks for what was in our bags this month. London Broil London Broil is a preparation method, not a cut; it is broiled/grilled marinated flank steak. Our “London Broil” is likely top round steak, but I won’t put any money on it either way until I defrost it and see what’s what. Regardless, I know what I’m going to do with it.  Marinate. High heat. Be sure to cut it against the grain when I serve it. To myself. 1. Got a grill, indoor or outdoor? Make Filipino-style London broil. 2. Crockpotting? Make Everyday Paleo’s spinach-stuffed London broil  (requires butterflying the meat, which is easy - just ask me.) 3. Broiling it, like Mom used to do? Make marinated London broil, just leave out the soy sauce (or sub coconut aminos, like I do.)  Stew Meat I just finished a huge pot of beef stew that I could not get enough of.  This recipe is potato-free but doesn’t suffer for it, and incorporates vegetables only at the very end, which keeps them crisp and in delicious contrast to the rich meat. 1. Hearty beef stew with green peas and carrots Seriously, kids, I love this one. I just left the 3 TBS of flour out. It has 146 reviews and over a 90% “would make again” rating on Epicurious. That’s the shit right there. 2. Herbed beef stew with sugar snap peas This one is next on my list. Sugar snap peas are about to be in season. 3. Ranchero beef stew I totally lied about the snap peas being next. Forget them. This one is next. Olives, chiles, tomatoes. My heart. Ground beef We’ve never talked about this. Pumpkin chili. My favorite meat loaf. Picadillo. White trash tacos. You need more ideas? Talk to Mel over at The Clothes Make the Girl. She’s got a bunch of ground beef recipes, and a bitch knows her way around a spice cupboard. It’s getting warmer, so I’m always looking for quick-sautee type dishes. Try this Asian ground beef, mushroom, and broccoli slaw lettuce cup recipe from Nom Nom Paleo. Another extremely dependable source for good grub. Steaks Here’s what to do. Pork chops Again. Beef shanks Stop making sense. Italian sausages This is what Herondale Farm itself recommends; go to the recipe page and select Italian sausages to view the recipe. Boneless pork roast Well, this happened. Or you could make pernil, which you definitely will want to do if you’ve ever eaten it. You can’t make it as well as any actual Latin person, but as a confirmed Gringarican I can tell you that you’re likely to be thrilled with any approximation you churn out. —————————————— Ta-da! That about does it for this month’s edition. Let me know if there are any cuts we missed, recipes you want to discuss, or delicious variations you want to share. See you at the Paleo Pot Luck!

March: in like a lion, out like a lamb.

Really? We’ve had no winter to speak of. Isn’t it more like, in like a kitty cat, out like a hamster? In like a pet goldfish? Out like a big, soft, adoring Rottie mix who looks at you with deep brown eyes and centuries of empathy and obedience?

rottie pup

Yes, this March is just like that.

Welcome to the March edition of Help a Sister Out with Some Recipes Associated with the CFSBK-Herondale Farm Meat CSA.

Here are my picks for what was in our bags this month.

London Broil

London Broil is a preparation method, not a cut; it is broiled/grilled marinated flank steak.

Our “London Broil” is likely top round steak, but I won’t put any money on it either way until I defrost it and see what’s what. Regardless, I know what I’m going to do with it.  Marinate. High heat. Be sure to cut it against the grain when I serve it. To myself.

1. Got a grill, indoor or outdoor? Make Filipino-style London broil.

2. Crockpotting? Make Everyday Paleo’s spinach-stuffed London broil  (requires butterflying the meat, which is easy - just ask me.)

3. Broiling it, like Mom used to do? Make marinated London broil, just leave out the soy sauce (or sub coconut aminos, like I do.) 

Stew Meat

I just finished a huge pot of beef stew that I could not get enough of.  This recipe is potato-free but doesn’t suffer for it, and incorporates vegetables only at the very end, which keeps them crisp and in delicious contrast to the rich meat.

1. Hearty beef stew with green peas and carrots

Seriously, kids, I love this one. I just left the 3 TBS of flour out. It has 146 reviews and over a 90% “would make again” rating on Epicurious. That’s the shit right there.

2. Herbed beef stew with sugar snap peas

This one is next on my list. Sugar snap peas are about to be in season.

3. Ranchero beef stew

I totally lied about the snap peas being next. Forget them. This one is next. Olives, chiles, tomatoes. My heart.

Ground beef

We’ve never talked about this. Pumpkin chili. My favorite meat loaf. Picadillo. White trash tacos.

You need more ideas? Talk to Mel over at The Clothes Make the Girl. She’s got a bunch of ground beef recipes, and a bitch knows her way around a spice cupboard.

It’s getting warmer, so I’m always looking for quick-sautee type dishes. Try this Asian ground beef, mushroom, and broccoli slaw lettuce cup recipe from Nom Nom Paleo. Another extremely dependable source for good grub.

Steaks

Here’s what to do.

Pork chops

Again.

Beef shanks

Stop making sense.

Italian sausages

This is what Herondale Farm itself recommends; go to the recipe page and select Italian sausages to view the recipe.

Boneless pork roast

Well, this happened.

Or you could make pernil, which you definitely will want to do if you’ve ever eaten it. You can’t make it as well as any actual Latin person, but as a confirmed Gringarican I can tell you that you’re likely to be thrilled with any approximation you churn out.

——————————————

Ta-da! That about does it for this month’s edition. Let me know if there are any cuts we missed, recipes you want to discuss, or delicious variations you want to share. See you at the Paleo Pot Luck!

My friend Susanna asked me to convince her to get a slow cooker. The photo is of a vintage crock pot. I actually own this model, inherited from my aunt. Some household items should always be vintage - cast iron pans, lamps, milk glass, and any furniture made of wood - but I was surprised to find that a 40-year-old crock pot holds its own against contemporary models. This old orange dinosaur cannot produce a bad meal. I also have a more modern stainless-steel version, with a dozen settings and fancy fixtures, but the two-temperature Rival is a proven workhorse. I’ve never made anything bad in it. The community at Crossfit South Brooklyn often holds pot lucks, and the winter editions typically produce a veritable Crock Pot Derby. I like the rowing machines lurking in the background, like small-appliance stalkers. On the other hand, slogging through slow cooker recipes online is something of a chore. There is so much garbage: ersatz pot roast made with a combination of condensed canned *and* dry soup mix, cocktail wieners with grape jelly and bottled barbecue sauce, and hundreds of gloppy crock pot dessert recipes. Don’t make any of those. Susanna, and any other of you who don’t own one: buy yourself a nice crock pot, even though you have a tiny kitchen and it will take up precious storage space.  Once you have it, run through the following recipes, a kind of Paleo Crock Pot 101. All these recipes use relatively inexpensive cuts of meat, which is exactly what belongs in a slow cooker. Moreover, the second and third days of eating crock pot recipes are, quite simply, revelatory. 1. Short ribs Short ribs are brilliant in the crock pot. If you have never made them, in fact if you don’t even know what they are - don’t worry. I didn’t either until about three years ago. I’d never even HEARD of them until then. I grew up on tunanoodacasserole and London broil, bitches. If you did too, don’t sweat it. Just go to the butcher, get some beef short ribs, and cook them in your crock pot. You will not regret it. 2. Brisket Another thing I’m not is Jewish. I never had brisket until I moved to New York in 1999 to cohabitate with my Jewish s.o. Unlike kugel, a food which does not, in my opinion, deserve a drachma of regard, brisket is both delicious and perfectly good for you. Since I didn’t grow up eating brisket in the American Jewish style, I’m not particularly attached to it as a preparation method. The link I provide is an excellent variation. An actual Jewish person wrote the recipe, if such things matter to you. 3. Beef Shanks in Red Wine I told you about this recipe in January. I made it myself and proclaim it one of the best slow cooker recipes I’ve ever made. 4. Lamb Shanks A no-brainer. A cheap cut that emerges absolutely delicious. I have to eat these in private. 5. Crock Pot Carnitas I’m repeating myself, but I like these.  6. Rob Israel’s award-winning Slow Cooker Pot Roast I missed the January 2012 CFSBK paleo pot luck because I was busy having a life-changing experience in my home town with a houseful of people I had been avoiding since 1987. I heard tell, however, that Rob’s pot roast took home a prize, and I wasn’t surprised; every good pot roast recipe I’ve made has come from him. Note from Rob: The key to this roast is the even blend of the wine, stock and tomato sauce. I’ve done braises that emphasize each one of these three components, but I discovered that the even mix is a beautiful, rich sauce… and the thyme and paprika are a perfect compliment.  Ingredients 3-4 pounds chuck roast, brisket or short ribs: all three taste great in this 1 cup chicken stock 1 cup red wine 1 cup tomato sauce- unflavored, plain tomato sauce 1 medium onion chopped  into medium chunks 3 large carrots chopped into medium chunks 6 medium sized celery stalks cut in half 1 TBSP Paprika  1 TBSP salt to taste (start with one and add more) plus kosher sprinkled on meat 1 TBSP white pepper (plus some sprinkled on meat when browning) 1 TBSP thyme 5-8 whole garlic cloves cut in half  Preparation Pour stock, tomato sauce and 1/2 of the wine  into crock pot. Set temp to high. Add salt, pepper, thyme and garlic.  Heat large skillet medium high, sprinkle some extra salt and pepper (not part the above measurements) on meat and sauté in skillet until all sides are browned.  Deglaze pan with left over wine and pour into crock pot.  Place meat in crock pot.  Place onions, carrots and celery in crock pot around the sides of the meat (in the broth not on top). You need enough liquid to cover the meat, so add equals parts stock, wine and tomato sauce if meat isn’t covered all the way up the sides. Cook on high for about 2-3 hours. You want to get the heat up and get it bubbling. Then turn down heat to low and cook for an additional 4-8 hours. If you need to leave it on all day and can’t change temperature just start it on low and leave it there. The high temp at the beginning just helps makes sure you will cook the meat thoroughly and the first two hours is just getting the liquid up to a cooking temp.  When meat is tender, it’s ready to eat. Cooking it longer is not a problem. Pull out celery stalks and disregard, they are for the ‘stock,’ not for eating. If you like eating celery (I don’t) you could alternatively chop the celery and leave it in for eating like the carrots and onions. I like serving this one over steamed spinach, kale or broccoli. Slow Cooker Recipe Wish List These are recipes I myself haven’t tried, but would like to. Perhaps you’ll beat me to it; if you do, drop me a line with your review! 1. Bigos - nostalgia for Poland, which is odd because I was a vegetarian when I lived there. 2. Everyday Paleo slow cooker recipes - chicken is dodgy in the crock, but Sarah generally knows what she’s talking about, so I’d make any of the recipes on her site. 3. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore - yeah, I just ragged on crockpot chicken. Whatever, I’d make this. 4. OK one more: Slow cooker kimchi chicken

My friend Susanna asked me to convince her to get a slow cooker.

The photo is of a vintage crock pot. I actually own this model, inherited from my aunt. Some household items should always be vintage - cast iron pans, lamps, milk glass, and any furniture made of wood - but I was surprised to find that a 40-year-old crock pot holds its own against contemporary models. This old orange dinosaur cannot produce a bad meal. I also have a more modern stainless-steel version, with a dozen settings and fancy fixtures, but the two-temperature Rival is a proven workhorse. I’ve never made anything bad in it.

The community at Crossfit South Brooklyn often holds pot lucks, and the winter editions typically produce a veritable Crock Pot Derby.

crocks

I like the rowing machines lurking in the background, like small-appliance stalkers.

On the other hand, slogging through slow cooker recipes online is something of a chore. There is so much garbage: ersatz pot roast made with a combination of condensed canned *and* dry soup mix, cocktail wieners with grape jelly and bottled barbecue sauce, and hundreds of gloppy crock pot dessert recipes.

Don’t make any of those.

Susanna, and any other of you who don’t own one: buy yourself a nice crock pot, even though you have a tiny kitchen and it will take up precious storage space. 

Once you have it, run through the following recipes, a kind of Paleo Crock Pot 101. All these recipes use relatively inexpensive cuts of meat, which is exactly what belongs in a slow cooker. Moreover, the second and third days of eating crock pot recipes are, quite simply, revelatory.

1. Short ribs

Short ribs are brilliant in the crock pot. If you have never made them, in fact if you don’t even know what they are - don’t worry. I didn’t either until about three years ago. I’d never even HEARD of them until then. I grew up on tunanoodacasserole and London broil, bitches. If you did too, don’t sweat it. Just go to the butcher, get some beef short ribs, and cook them in your crock pot. You will not regret it.

2. Brisket

Another thing I’m not is Jewish. I never had brisket until I moved to New York in 1999 to cohabitate with my Jewish s.o. Unlike kugel, a food which does not, in my opinion, deserve a drachma of regard, brisket is both delicious and perfectly good for you.

Since I didn’t grow up eating brisket in the American Jewish style, I’m not particularly attached to it as a preparation method. The link I provide is an excellent variation. An actual Jewish person wrote the recipe, if such things matter to you.

3. Beef Shanks in Red Wine

I told you about this recipe in January. I made it myself and proclaim it one of the best slow cooker recipes I’ve ever made.

4. Lamb Shanks

A no-brainer. A cheap cut that emerges absolutely delicious. I have to eat these in private.

5. Crock Pot Carnitas

I’m repeating myself, but I like these. 

6. Rob Israel’s award-winning Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I missed the January 2012 CFSBK paleo pot luck because I was busy having a life-changing experience in my home town with a houseful of people I had been avoiding since 1987. I heard tell, however, that Rob’s pot roast took home a prize, and I wasn’t surprised; every good pot roast recipe I’ve made has come from him.

Note from Rob: The key to this roast is the even blend of the wine, stock and tomato sauce. I’ve done braises that emphasize each one of these three components, but I discovered that the even mix is a beautiful, rich sauce… and the thyme and paprika are a perfect compliment. 

Ingredients

3-4 pounds chuck roast, brisket or short ribs: all three taste great in this

1 cup chicken stock
1 cup red wine
1 cup tomato sauce- unflavored, plain tomato sauce
1 medium onion chopped  into medium chunks
3 large carrots chopped into medium chunks
6 medium sized celery stalks cut in half
1 TBSP Paprika 
1 TBSP salt to taste (start with one and add more) plus kosher sprinkled on meat
1 TBSP white pepper (plus some sprinkled on meat when browning)
1 TBSP thyme
5-8 whole garlic cloves cut in half 

Preparation

  • Pour stock, tomato sauce and 1/2 of the wine  into crock pot. Set temp to high. Add salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. 
  • Heat large skillet medium high, sprinkle some extra salt and pepper (not part the above measurements) on meat and sauté in skillet until all sides are browned. 
  • Deglaze pan with left over wine and pour into crock pot. 
  • Place meat in crock pot. 
  • Place onions, carrots and celery in crock pot around the sides of the meat (in the broth not on top). You need enough liquid to cover the meat, so add equals parts stock, wine and tomato sauce if meat isn’t covered all the way up the sides.
  • Cook on high for about 2-3 hours. You want to get the heat up and get it bubbling. Then turn down heat to low and cook for an additional 4-8 hours. If you need to leave it on all day and can’t change temperature just start it on low and leave it there. The high temp at the beginning just helps makes sure you will cook the meat thoroughly and the first two hours is just getting the liquid up to a cooking temp. 
  • When meat is tender, it’s ready to eat. Cooking it longer is not a problem. Pull out celery stalks and disregard, they are for the ‘stock,’ not for eating. If you like eating celery (I don’t) you could alternatively chop the celery and leave it in for eating like the carrots and onions.
  • I like serving this one over steamed spinach, kale or broccoli.

Slow Cooker Recipe Wish List

These are recipes I myself haven’t tried, but would like to. Perhaps you’ll beat me to it; if you do, drop me a line with your review!

1. Bigos - nostalgia for Poland, which is odd because I was a vegetarian when I lived there.

2. Everyday Paleo slow cooker recipes - chicken is dodgy in the crock, but Sarah generally knows what she’s talking about, so I’d make any of the recipes on her site.

3. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore - yeah, I just ragged on crockpot chicken. Whatever, I’d make this.

4. OK one more: Slow cooker kimchi chicken