72 hour beef short rib

Tom Aikens

Tom Aikens

13th June 2013
Tom Aikens

72 hour beef short rib

As an incredibly popular meat within the UK, beef recipes are vast and varied. With a range of beef cuts to consider as well as cooking methods and flavour pairings, beef recipes are varied in flavour, texture and preparation time - give this one a try for yourself! My recipe for 72 hour beef short rib from the menu at Tom Aikens Restaurant, London

Ingredients

  • Beef and brine
  • 1 beef short rib
  • 10 litre water
  • 250g coarse salt
  • 40g thyme
  • 4 bay leaves
  • Herb puree
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 1 bunch tarragon
  • 1 bunch basil
  • 1 bunch chervil
  • 2 l water
  • 12g salt
  • Roscoff onion
  • 2 Roscoff onions
  • 15g thyme
  • 10g demerera sugar
  • Braised oxtail balls
  • 4 cans Guinness
  • 5 l white chicken stock
  • 3 l veal stock
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • 1kg oxtail
  • 2 bulbs garlic
  • 6 donkey carrots split
  • 3 onions cut into 4
  • 5 shallots cut in half
  • 1 head of celery
  • 8g black peppercorns
  • 100g butter
  • 200ml vegetable oil
  • Beef tendons
  • 1kg beef tendons
  • 350ml brown chicken stock reduced to 100ml
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 20g thyme
  • Bone marrow
  • Split down the middle lengthways (best to ask the butcher to do this for you)
  • Garnish
  • Green dandelion leaves
  • Cicorino leaves

Method

Beef and brine:
Place everything into a pan except the beef and bring to a simmer.
Stir well and chill.
Once cold place the beef into the brine for 12 hours.
Once brined, drain, season with maldon, pepper and olive oil, place foil onto the bones and then vacuum seal and cook at 75°C in a water bath for 72 hours.
Ensure the meat comes away from the bone, drain and press between two flat trays.
Once set and pressed, you then portion, cutting in-between each bone allowing one bone per portion.
Herb puree:
Pick all the herbs.
Boil the water with the salt.
Add the herbs cooking until soft.
Drain the herbs as best as possible and blend immediately until smooth and chill over an ice bath
Roscoff onion:
Cut the onion in half (through the middle, not from top to bottom). Heat a flat based pan, add a splash of vegetable oil and butter. When slightly brown, add the onions flat side down. Add the demerera sugar and thyme. Cook till golden brown and then turn them over, place a lid on the top and cook in the oven till three quarters cooked. Around 18 minutes, until they are cooked.
Braised oxtail:
Heat a large pan.
Add the oil and butter, once hot add the oxtail and caramelize until slightly golden brown.
Add the vegetables and herbs in stages starting with the carrots, then onto the remaining vegetables. Caramelize all until golden brown.
Add the Guinness, veal stock and white chicken stock.
Bring to a simmer, skim and cook until oxtail comes away from the bone.
Once cooked, allow to cool in the liquor. Once cool, remove and pick away the meat discarding any bones. Pass the sauce and reduce to the correct consistency.
Season the meat, add enough of the sauce to combine and roll into small balls.
Beef tendons:
Place all the ingredients into a vaccum pac bag, season and seal.
Cook this in a waterbath at 85°C for 16 hours.
Once cooked, remove any sinew and keep only the tendon
Serving of the dish:
Reduce some of the remaining oxtail stock and glaze the beef portions.
Warm these through the oven along with the Roscoff onions halves, beef tendons, oxtail balls & bone marrow.
Brush the herb puree onto the plate.
Once everything is hot inside the oven, then assemble onto the plate, along with the salad leaves to garnish.
Finish with a little more of the reduced oxtail stock as a sauce.

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