Miso Braised Beef with King Trumpet Mushrooms – Comforting and Exciting?

When people think comfort food, they generally think of classic, iconic recipes that are made the exact same way every time. No one likes change, and it’s this timeless consistency that in large part makes these dishes so comforting. However, as much as I love a traditional beef stew, or braised beef short ribs, once in a while, I enjoy using these same techniques with a few non-traditional ingredients, just to shake things up.

Speaking of which, if you’re not familiar with miso, it's a fermented soybean and rice paste, and it just makes everything taste better. It’s relatively easy to find in your larger grocery stores, and a few spoonfuls will add an extra element of savoriness to these already savory dishes. To balance that, among other things, we’re also adding a touch of maple syrup, which helps give this even more of an autumnal feel.

I kept things pretty simple with the vegetable additions, going with just mushrooms and onions, but the classic beef stew array of carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes would also work as well. And I wasn’t kidding about the King Trumpet mushrooms being as good as the beef. They really were amazing, and this would make for a fantastic meatless meal using those alone. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions Miso Braised Beef:

2 tablespoons peanut, or vegetable oil

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, or boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch thick strips or chunks, seasoned with salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne

1 tablespoon butter

3 or 4 King Trumpet mushrooms, halved, or any mushrooms

1 yellow onion, diced

1/4 cup sake, or white wine

3 tablespoons yellow miso

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or any vinegar

1/4 cup sliced red chilies

1/4 cups sliced green onions

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Yorkshire Pudding – Don’t Call it a Popover

If you’re going to be slightly underwhelmed by the dry-aged Prime Rib you waited 42 days to roast and eat, you might as well whip up some Yorkshire puddings with the rendered fat, to help make up for it. That’s the classic fat in which to make these puffy pastries, and while any high-temp oil will work, there’s nothing quite like actual beef drippings, and without it, you’re just eating a popover.

Of course, every time I make these, I can’t help but wish I could experience them in their original form. As legend has it, these were cooked in a pan of fat, situated at the bottom of a hearth, underneath a large piece of roasting beef. The smoky heat from the fire, along with all the other goodness dripping into the pan from the meat, must have made for quite the memorable treat. Which is a good thing, since for most of the people hanging out around the roast, that’s all they probably got to eat.

If you happen to make the larger ones, using a popover pan, you’ll need to cook them at 375 F. for a little longer time. Maybe 10 minutes more at least, but don’t go by time. We basically want these as browned and puffy as possible, so leave them in as long as you feel is safe. No matter how big you make these, or what you fill the leftover ones with, I really hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 small or 6 large Yorkshire Puddings:

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

7/8 cup all-purpose flour (almost a cup)

1 cup whole milk

about 3/4 cup melted beef fat
- heat oil at 400 F. for 10-15 minutes, then fill and bake for 25 minutes more, or until browned and fully puffed. If doing the larger ones in a popover pan, bake at 375 F. for about 7-10 minutes longer.

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Dry-Aged Prime Rib – I Waited 42 Days to Be Confused

If you’re thinking of dry-aging your very own Prime Rib of Beef for the holidays, then you really need to watch this video. You might learn a thing or two, and there’s even a chance you’ll still want to do it. By the way, I’m not trying to discourage you, since it is a fun, and fascinating foodie project, which does produce a delicious, juicy, and tender Prime Rib, but if you’re after “that funk,” then like me, you may be a little disappointed.

I’ve dry-aged meat before, but never longer than a week or so, and after doing lots of research (mostly on Serious Eats), I knew I’d have to go at least 30 days to enjoy any kind of noticeable change in favor. So I decided to go well past that, and ended up aging it for 42 days before it went into the oven. It looked great, and it smelled great, but ultimately it did not have the level of funky fermented goodness I was after.

I’m not sure if I needed to go even longer, or my garage fridge is lacking in desirable bacteria, or my saltwater wipe-down sterilized the surface, but whatever the reason, I was left with nothing more than an amazingly juicy, tender, and delicious Prime Rib. That’s not something you’d normally complain about, but after waiting 6 weeks, I wanted more.

So, if you have any advice or theories as to what happened, or didn’t happen, please pass them along. I’m assuming a few of you brave souls will give this a go, and if you do, I’d love to hear about your experience. In the meantime, I’m going to make an extra funky blue cheese butter to serve with the leftovers, and pretend. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Bone in Prime Rib (mine was 10 pounds, 8 1/4 after aging)

enough salt to season generously

For the salt wipe:

1/2 cup cold water

2 teaspoons kosher salt

- Roast at 500 F. for 20 minutes, then reduce to 300 F. (or lower), and continue until you reach your desired doneness. I usually pull at 122-125 F. to get something close to a medium rare after resting.

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Crispy Butcher’s Nuggets – Parts is Parts

While our homemade butcher’s nuggets won’t feature the same diversity of meat parts as the butcher shop, at least they won’t feature the same diversity of meat parts. Seriously, those folks will put anything into a sausage or meatball. All kidding aside, these crispy fried meatballs will have you wondering why non-chicken nuggets aren’t more popular.

I went with a fairly restrained combo of just beef and lamb, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a little more adventurous. Using pork is an obvious choice, and as I mentioned in the video, I think chicken livers would be amazing in this. Above and beyond the meat choices, you also have lots of artistic freedom when it comes to the shape, and what dipping sauce you pair them with.

At Fern Bar in Sebastopol, where I stole the idea, they’ll switch up the ingredients depending on what’s around, as well as change the sauce underneath, although it’s almost always something a little bit on the sweet side. Of course, our “secret sauce” (shhhhhh) goes with everything, but deciding how to tweak that to match your meats is half the fun. The rest of the fun is eating these butcher’s nuggets, and lots of them, which I hope you do very soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 18 to 20 Butcher’s Nuggets:

Note: the scoop I used to portion holds about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture.

For the nuggets:

3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

cayenne to taste

1 teaspoon finely minced rosemary

1 clove crushed garlic

1/4 cup milk

dash of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 pound ground lamb

1/2 pound ground beef

For the breading (amounts as needed):

all-purpose flour

beaten eggs (I used 2 large eggs)

panko breadcrumbs

For the secret sauce:

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup mustard

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle

- Fry nuggets at 375 F. for about 3 minutes, then let rest 3 minutes before serving.

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Baked Philly Cheesesteak Sliders – Go Giants!

The Philly Cheesesteak is a simple sandwich to make, as long as you’re making them in a restaurant. To make a proper one, you need a professional meat slicer, and a very hot flattop grill, which aren’t things most people have at home. 

That’s why I loved this baked slider method so much. It’s really close in taste and texture, plus, as I mentioned in the video, the small rolls make me feel like a big man.

I love the combo of provolone and cream cheese here, but if you’re a Cheese Wiz head, you can easily switch in some mild orange cheddar, and you’ll swear you’re at Pat’s. Of course, you could just skip the cream cheese, and actually use Cheese Whiz, but I really hope you don’t. 

Speaking of feeling like a giant, football season is upon us, and I can’t think of a better sandwich to make for your buddies coming over to watch the game. Especially if they’re from Philly, and don’t like the Giants, since you can share my theory with them. Regardless, I really do hope you give these baked Philly cheesesteak sliders a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 10 Baked Philly Cheesesteak Sliders:

10 mini sandwich rolls, or crusty not-sweet dinner rolls

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound top sirloin steak

salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup sliced, or chopped pickled peppers

1/2 cup soft cream cheese

1 1/2 cups provolone cheese for filling, plus at least 1 cup more for tops

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Note: Be sure to taste your filling for salt before stuffing rolls

- Bake at 425 F. for about 15 minutes.

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American Goulash – Just Like the Non-Hungarian Lunch Lady Used to Make

One of my all-time favorite comfort food meals growing up was the beef goulash served in my school cafeteria, which came with a slice of buttered white bread, and an ice-cold carton of milk. Little did I know that it wasn’t really goulash, but an Americanized version, invented, I’m guessing, to stretch a small amount of beef into enough food for a not so small family.

Real goulash is like a beef stew, and I’m pretty proud of this version we posted a while back, but while it’s a wonderful recipe in its own right, it just doesn’t hold the same place in my heart as this version. So, you can imagine my disappointment the first time I ordered beef goulash, and actually got beef goulash. Anyway, live and learn.

Not much can go wrong here, as long as you don’t under-cook, or horribly over-cook the macaroni. So, set your timer for 10 minutes, and start checking. We want the pasta very tender, but not falling apart. By the way, this goes by many names, including American Chop Suey, Chili Mac, Johnny Marzetti, and my personal favorite, Slumgullion. No matter what you call this, I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 pounds ground beef

4 cloves garlic minced

2 generous teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

cayenne to taste

2 tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs (blend of oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, parley, basil)

1 or 2 bay leaves

1 quart chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (24-ounce) jar prepared marinara sauce, rinsed with 1 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 rounded cups elbow macaroni

1 packed cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Freshly chopped Italian parsley

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The Best Beef Tri Tip – This Tip is Tops

I received a food wish for roast beef recently, which can be done with many different cuts, but I ended up deciding on the always amazing beef tri tip, since it’s affordable, flavorful, and using this low-temp roasting technique, nearly fool-proof. Above and beyond the great results, this is also one of the easiest approaches out there.

No marinating, no searing, no nothing; just rub on some salt and spices, and pop it into the oven until it reaches the doneness you want. Of course, you can sear it before roasting, or do a reverse-sear afterward, but even without those optional steps, you’re going to be enjoying a lovely plate of roast beef.

Since we’re using such a low temperature, there isn’t going to be much carry-over heat, so be sure that you reach your target temperature before pulling it out. I went with 128 F., thinking it would climb up to 135-ish, but it never went over 130. That worked for me, since I love medium-rare meat, but if you want something a little more done, maybe pull at 135. Either way, be sure to wrap it, and let it rest for 20 minutes before cutting into some of the juiciest beef you’ve ever had.

This is one of those “professional” cuts of beef that are popular in restaurants, and barbecue joints, but not so much for the home cook. It might be a regional thing, as they are a little more common in California, but I really just think it’s a matter of folks not knowing what a great, and easy cut of beef this is. So, with apologies to all the people that wanted to keep this a secret, I’ll close by saying I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 generous servings:

2 1/2 to 3 pound beef tri tip

For the rub:

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon freshly minced fresh rosemary

- Optional ingredient suggestion: 1/2 cup beef or chicken broth to mix into the salty, but delicious pan drippings.

- Roast at 225 F. for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it reaches 130 F. for medium-rare.

Summer Sausage – Winter Isn’t Coming

Traditionally, summer sausage is made, and cured in the winter, so that it’s ready to enjoy during the summer, but unless you have some sort of time machine, we’re going to have to settle on this easy, and much faster, shortcut method. Despite only taking a few days, this really is very close in taste and texture to everybody’s favorite gift-basket sausage.

The method is very simple, but just be sure to test for doneness with a thermometer, ideally a probe thermometer, which will alert you when the center of your sausage has reached your target temperature of 150 F. This will ensure we achieve a smooth, salami-like texture.

As far as the taste goes, feel free to spice this anyway you want. With just a little bit of research you could use this simple technique to make many similarly styled sausages, like your own personalized pepperoni, or signature salami. No matter how you flavor this, it will help if you do include a pinch of pink curing salt (aka Insta Cure #1), which you hopefully have leftover from our homemade ham recipe.  

If not, it’s easy to find online, but for the record, the recipe will work without it, just not maybe quite as spectacularly. By the way, if you’re not sure about using nitrites, check out this great article by Michael Ruhlman. Curing salts aside, I really do hope you give this great summer sausage recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for One 2-pound Summer Sausage:

1/4 cup diced celery, minced or smashed into juicy bits

2 pounds freshly ground beef (85/15 lean to fat ratio)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 rounded tablespoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons whole mustard seeds

20 grams kosher salt (2 tablespoons if you use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. This is best done by weight.)

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

pinch of cayenne

1/4 teaspoon pink curing salt (Insta Cure #1)

1 tablespoon white sugar

For the “smoking” wash:

1 tablespoon liquid smoke mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

- Cook at 275 F. for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or to an internal temp of 150 F.

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Black & Blue Steak Burger – Wait Until the Guys Hear About This!

Chopping up perfectly good steaks to make burgers with is going to raise a few eyebrows, and that’s just one of the reasons to do it. The great taste and texture are a couple other ones, not to mention it’s always nice to know exactly what you’re eating. Besides, imagine the mileage your dad’s going to get out of the story about the time you hand-chopped a rib eye just to make him a burger for Father’s Day. That’s pure chatting with your buddies at the hardware store gold.

This will also work with cheaper cuts like chuck, or round, but there’s a certain luxuriousness starting out with meat that’s already tender before it’s even chopped. By the way, using premium cuts for burgers is nothing new, and steakhouses have been doing just that with their trimmings for decades, which reminds me, if you can find some extra flavorful dry-aged beef, this will be even more memorable.

Above and beyond the taste, as long as you’re using cuts with enough fat, hand chopping the meat to a course grind will produce a very tender burger. Most hamburger meat from the store is too finely ground, and horribly overworked, and by the time you form it into patties, it can’t help but be a little tough. That’s not a problem here. By using a sharp knife, and partially frozen meat, there will be little to no fat smearing, which is one of the things that makes for a chewy burger.

Feel free to use no cheese, or a different variety, but the sharp, slightly salty funkiness of the blue cheese really works perfectly here. And the glorious crust we get as our meat sears in that melted fat is a wonder to behold. Homemade buns will also add to the experience, and here’s the link for making your own, but even if you’re going to serve this on a store-bought bun, and really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients to make 4 normal, or 3 giant Black & Blue Steak Burgers:

3/4 pound fatty rib eye steak

3/4 pound top sirloin steak

2 ounces (about 1/2 cup not packed) crumbled blue cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

-Sear about 3 minutes per side in a dry, very hot cast iron pan set over medium-high heat.

For the red onions:

1 red onion, sliced

big pinch of salt

enough red wine vinegar to cover

- Combine ingredients and let sit in fridge overnight, or until the onions turn color and soften slightly.

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Easy Baked Beef Brisket – Slow and Low is Not the Tempo

Remember that time you waited all day for your “low and slow” beef brisket to finish cooking, and once it finally did, it was dry? It left you disappointed, disillusioned, and wondering what went wrong. Well, I won’t bore you with all the scientific, easy-to-Google details, but basically meat can “stall” during long, low-heat methods, and never reach the proper internal temperature to fully release all the succulent goodness. 

If you really nail it, the results can be amazing, and I’ve gotten lucky a few times on the smoker, but this significantly faster method is much less risky. Unless you really overcook it, you shouldn’t have to worry about dry meat, and you can instead worry about other things, like whether you cooked enough meat. By the way, I'm not sure if they invented it, but I adapted this from something I saw watching an America's Test Kitchen rerun, so if you have issues, please contact them.

Speaking of enough meat, if you decide to use a whole brisket, this method will work as shown, but you’ll probably need to give it a little more time at the end to ensure it’s fork tender. Or not, but there’s only one way to find out, so have your poking fork handy, and use as needed. Whether you’re looking for a brisket recipe for Passover, or you’re simply interested in moister meat in less time, I really hope you give this easy, baked brisket recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions Easy Baked Beef Brisket:

(Adapted from America's Test Kitchen)

3 pound beef brisket (the flat half of a full brisket)

4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

For the gravy/braising liquid:

2 tablespoons butter, oil, or rendered fat

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 cup apple juice or cider

- Bake at 325 F. for 1 1/2 hours, then reduce oven to 250 F., and cook for about 2 hours 15 minutes, or until fork tender.

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Loco Moco – Sounds Much Better in Spanish

This amazing Hawaiian comfort food classic is made by topping rice with a fried burger, which is then smothered with a rich, brown gravy, and finished with a fried egg. Seriously, how did it take until 1949 for someone to think of this combination? And, once they did, why exactly did they name it, “crazy mucus,” which is what this actually translates to.

I’ll let you read all about that here, but disturbing names aside, this really is a cheap, filling bowl of goodness, that can be adapted in all sorts of ways. The beef patty is standard, but spam is also used, as is roast pork, and even seafood.

I like the classic burger best, although as I mentioned in video, I do recommend using a thinner patty, around 4 ounces, which will make this easier to eat, as well as provide a better beef-to-rice-to-gravy ratio. I had a pound of meat and decided to make two portions, but in hindsight I should have saved half for something else.

Of course, you’re having a pretty good week when you’re complaining that your burger was too thick for your loco moco. Anyway, I hope you had a great week as well, and that you give this fast, and very satisfying Hawaiian classic a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions:

1 teaspoon unsalted butter for cooking the burger

2 ground beef patties (4 to 6 ounces is ideal)

salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne to taste

2 tablespoons minced green onions (white/light parts)

2 cup cooked white rice

2 fried egg

sliced green onions to garnish

For the gravy:

1 1/2 cups high-quality beef broth

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

few drops of sesame oil, optional

2 teaspoons ketchup

2 teaspoons sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch (or a little more if you want a thicker sauce)

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Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef) – Back Off, Marie Kondo!

This Cuban braised beef dish literally translates to, “old clothes,” because apparently some people thought it looked like old, tattered clothing, but as I touched on in the video’s intro, don’t make this because of the cool name. Make this because it’s one of the most delicious dishes ever, and will most definitely spark joy.

Of course, you have to be into big, bold flavors, since there’s nothing subtle about the seasoning here. Above and beyond a warning, that also should serve as a reminder to adjust the amounts below to match your personal preferences. Compared to some recipes, my version is actually fairly subdued.

Some folks like to braise the meat until it’s falling apart before tearing it, but I prefer the method seen herein. I’ll cook the meat until it’s just starting to get tender, then tear, and finish it in the sauce. I believe that makes for an even better texture, as well as possibly absorbing more flavor, although I can’t prove any of this. You can also, use skirt steak, or big pieces of chuck, but flank is my favorite. No matter what you use, I really hope you give these “old clothes” a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

1 flank steak (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

cayenne to taste

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large red onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, or finely crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

2 bay leaves

2 or 3 bell peppers, sliced (I also used a poblano chili)

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

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Coney Island Knishes – St. Patrick’s Day Leftovers Edition

One of my earliest “exotic” food experiences was eating potato knishes with my Dad when we’d visit Coney Island. There were the square variety, and we’d buy them from a hot dog cart, and since potatoes were my favorite food growing up, I was in heaven. I mean, mashed potatoes in a warm, flaky pastry? I’ll have two, please.

Back then they were still made with copious amounts of chicken fat, also know as “schmaltz,” which was the real secret behind their awesomeness, but you can make a perfectly fine version without that, especially if you have some leftover corned beef around. Regardless of how you fill these, the technique seen herein will work, and half the fun is trying new versions. As long as the base is mashed potato, spiked with onions fried in lots of fat, anything goes.

I think the baked version is the easiest, but if you feel so inclined, these can also be deep-fried, or pan-fried. No matter how you cook them, one of the keys is getting the dough nice and thin, so your finished product is mostly filling. Other than that, these are relatively simple to make, and the kind of snack that fills more than just an empty stomach, which is why I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 16 Knishes:

(Please Note: I only used half the dough in the video, and only made enough filling for 8 knishes, but the following ingredients will make 16 total)

For the dough:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup warm water

For the filling (might make extra):

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, quartered, and boiled in salted water until tender

1/2 cup melted butter, and/or rendered chicken fat

2 cups diced yellow onion

2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon fine salt), plus more to taste

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste

8 ounces diced corned beef

1 cup finely chopped cooked cabbage

- Bake at 375 F. for about 40 minutes, or until golden-brown

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