Recipe by Lynfred Brand Ambassador, Laura Lorenz
INGREDIENTS
BBQ Sauce
1 16oz bag frozen blackberries, thawed (if using fresh, about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 chipotle peppers out of a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup water
1 cup prepared ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
1.5 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Salt to taste
Short Rib Grilled Cheese
3 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
3-4 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs*
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon AP flour
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
2 cups red wine*
1 bay leaf
A few sprigs each of fresh rosemary and thyme
½ tablespoon vegetable oil (if needed) *
Desired bread (I used a sourdough and a multi grain)
Desired cheese (I used Havarti and provolone*)
DIRECTIONS
BBQ Sauce
Combine all ingredients (except cornstarch) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil; turn the heat down to low, simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (I set a lid on top, off center to avoid splatter). After 20 minutes add the cornstarch, whisking until incorporated. Simmer mixture another 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Taste sauce and salt to taste. Next, turn the heat off and blend mixture (I used an immersion blender, but a regular blender or food processor will also work, just remember it is hot so you may need to work in batches). Once the sauce is blended, strain the seeds out by pouring the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and into a container for storage. Store in the fridge. I recommend making the sauce a day or two before making the sandwiches: this lets all the flavors really develop. If you cannot wait that long, then 4-6 hours in the fridge will also work.
Short Rib Grilled Cheese
On a large cutting board lay short ribs out; salt and pepper all sides then sprinkle with flour until lightly coated (set aside). Next, in a large Dutch oven cook bacon until crispy. Once the bacon is cooked, take the bacon out and set aside, leaving the fat. If your bacon did not leave a lot of fat then you may need to add oil (I needed to add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil). Turn the heat up to high and sear the short ribs for 2-3 minutes per side* working in batches (I did 3 short ribs at a time). While the short ribs are searing, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Once the short ribs are browned on all sides, remove from the pan, and set aside and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the onions and carrots and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until they start to soften (stirring occasionally). Then add the garlic, cook for 1 minute while stirring frequently so the garlic does not burn. Next, add the tomato paste, stirring until combined with the vegetables. Now it is time for the wine; pour the wine in, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the fond (aka all the good bits) off the bottom and into the cooking liquid. Then pour in the beef broth andtoss in the herbs, stir well. Next, nestle the short ribs into the pan along with the bacon and any juices that came off the short ribs; turn the heat off. Cover and bake in the oven for 3 hours. While cooking, you can turn the short ribs over halfway through if you do not want any crispy
parts: I absolutely love the texture, so I do not touch mine.
Once the meat is falling off the bone (around 3 hours), remove from the oven and cool. Pull the short ribs out of the braising liquid and shred (discard the stems from the herbs and the bay
leaf). *
Grilled Cheese Assembly
How I layer-spread each slice of bread with BBQ sauce, then a layer of cheese followed by the shredded short ribs and then another slice of cheese. This helps the sandwiches really stick together and melt perfectly.
Pan-cast iron is the absolute best for grilled cheese, but a nonstick will also work. I melt my butter in my pan, personal preference (you can also butter the outsides of the bread). I like my heat at a medium level and I cover my pan while I am browning each side of the sandwich (this yields the ultimate gooey cheese pull). I like to serve my sandwiches with a simple arugula salad and a little extra sauce for dipping.
*Boneless will also work, the cooking time will vary though without the bone
*The Lynfred wine of the month (Assemblage 2019) will work fantastic but a red blend or Petite
Sirah will also work fine
*How to judge if you need to add oil-you want a small coating of fat or oil at the bottom of the
pan, completely coating the bottom of the pan
*Cheese-other cheeses that will work great (gruyere, gouda, fontina) I also sprinkled some blue
cheese on one of the sandwiches and that was equally delicious. This is a versatile recipe, have
fun with different cheese combinations
*When searing meat, a clever way to tell when it’s time to flip is when the meat releases from the
pan and does not stick (for short ribs its between 2 and 3 minutes usually)
*I save all the cooking liquid (drain off the fat), I will be talking about recipes using this on my
page @food_love_vino