How many times has this happened to you? You’re planning on having people over for Super Bowl Party-Valentine’s Party-Oscar Party-May 24-Canada Day etc-etc-etc but you’re on a strict food budget. You only have enough cash for either meat snacks (of the chicken wings and meatball variety) or sugary treats (Timbits). Oh what a pickle!
Fear not! Avoid this calamity by doing what I do – make something that’s a little from column A, and a little from column B. Something so diabolically righteous it’s like the devil and God went on a date that went too far due to excessive drinking, then named their little guy Meat Candy! No one can turn down Meat Candy! Well, I guess a vegetarian can, but in my experience they usually carry around protein bars with them at all times for dietary emergencies such as this, so don’t feel bad. All of your meat-eating friends will love you and spread the word that you throw the best parties, even on a strict food budget.
Meat Candy
You’ll need:
4 beef short ribs, cut crosswise about 1.5 inches thick
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped
6 star anise
2 tablespoons Ssam Jang (Korean spicy bean paste)
2-3 cups of root beer
2 cups of chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to season
1 cup shelled and roasted peanut
2 tablespoons green onion, sliced
Pre heat the oven to 325˚F. Lay the short ribs out on a cutting board and divide each into four or five even sized pieces. If you cut them into five, you’ll have to maneuver around one of the bones since there are only four of them, but you’ll figure that out. Properly season (like it’s snowing) the beef.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and sear the beef. Remove the meat from the pot and add in the onion, garlic and ginger. Sweat these ingredients over a medium low heat until the onions are soft and caramelized – maybe ten minutes or so. Add the carrots, celery, star anise, and Ssam Jang and cook for another ten minutes. Deglaze the pot with the root beer and the chicken stock, and then put the beef back in the pot. The liquid should just cover the solid ingredients, if not add more root beer. Bring to a simmer before putting a lid on it and placing in the oven.
Braise for about two and a half to three hours, or until the bone easily slips out of the rib. Remove the meat from the pot and strain the braising liquid on top. Cool down before refrigerating overnight.
The next day, pick or scrape the solidified fat from the top of the braising liquid.
In a pan, heat the meat in the sauce a little, just to get them warm all the way through. This will make it easier to pop the bones out and discard them. So do that, then place the meat on a cutting board so you can cut the meat into evenly sized “bites”. Put the meat back into the pan with the sauce and simmer until the sauce reduces to a glaze, and the meat pieces are all shiny.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the kitchen, place the roasted peanuts in a food processor and pulse them until they are chunky. Or crush them with a hammer or whatever your food processor alternative is. Add in the green onions and salt and pulse a little more, until the whole mixture looks like very coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer the mix into a bowl.
Take your sticky, warm meat and roll it around in the peanut until well coated. This can be a messy job so I like to use a fork and spoon to keep my fingers from getting all syrupy. Place the finished meat candy bites on a clean plate. Serve immediately while they’re still warm.
These little bad boys taste like a Snickers, except with meat instead of nougat. And without the chocolate. And as a bonus, they pair excellently with wine, beer, AND cocktails. I know…amazing, right? So dig in cheapskate, your party going to be a smashing success!
