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Braised using Java House Cold Brew samples I received, these Coffee Braised Short Ribs can be made any time! The braising liquid is reduced into a fancy red-eye style gravy. 

I am addicted to short ribs. And I think I have finally found the best place to buy them. They’re not the best at my local grocery store. However, if I hit the international grocery store across the street, I can find some delicious short ribs.

This is something I wish I knew about earlier. I’ve tried several times to make good short ribs. Not that they haven’t come out tasting delicious, but they weren’t those thick and meaty ones you see on Pinterest.

THESE Coffee Braised Short Ribs are those ribs.

I was like a kid in a candy store. There were several different thicknesses available. I had a hard time picking one package. Two or three could have easily wound up in my basket, but they didn’t. I grabbed one. And as a splurge I grabbed a package of pork picnic chunks.

Yes. I said chunks. As in I didn’t have to buy a whole pork shoulder. I can’t wait to toss those bad boys in the pressure cooker and see they turn out. I’m thinking some kind of Cuban pork? We’ll just have to see.

I wanted to find the perfect short ribs to braise using these delicious Java House Cold Brew liquid pods. They reached out to me to try their liquid pods. Of course, I said yes. We’re coffee drinkers! And I am not shy about drinking cold coffee either.

What is red-eye gravy?

My initial thought was some sort of tiramisu, but I have a couple of those on my blog already. I thought I’d try something different this time. Then I considered a cocktail. You can easily whip up a cocktail with these liquid pods. And I probably will come up with some sort of cocktail later.

Then I hit Pinterest to see what recipes inspired me. Barbecue sauce? Nah. Marinade? Maybe. Then it hit me! I could braise the beef then use the juice to make a fancy red-eye style gravy.

Red-eye gravy is a completely Southern dish. They took the country ham which was basically a salted pork and fried it up. Then they added leftover coffee to the pan to make a gravy. Both ingredients were pretty cheap back in the day. You could dip your stale bread or biscuits in them and give them a new life for your meal. Talk about cheap eats!

Red-eye gravy is typically reduced by simmering to thicken it. The drippings from the ham and the strong coffee simmer to a dark brownish red color. Flour is usually not added to thicken the gravy. But if you feel it’s needed then go ahead and add a little flour to thicken it.

Red-eye gravy is more of a breakfast gravy than a dinner gravy, but you can serve it at any meal. People dip the inside of the biscuit in the gravy before sandwiching a piece of country ham on it. It’s also served on the side to spoon over country ham, grits, or biscuits. For dinner, it’s spooned over the ham or mashed potatoes.

How else can you cook with coffee?

Besides the obvious use for using it in sweets, there’s other ways to cook with coffee. I have marinated in coffee and used grounds as a rub. I haven’t tried making barbecue sauce with coffee, but that was a thought, too. And coffee jelly. Yes. Apparently, it is a thing. I’ll have to check this idea out.

Adding coffee to your pot roast and chili adds a rich flavor that elevates the recipe. Mole is another good recipe that will taste amazing if you add coffee to it. Coffee also makes a great base for a vinaigrette. And makes baked beans taste scrumptious.

How do you braise short ribs to make them tender?

I have to admit that the first time I tried cooking short ribs in the pressure cooker was a total fail. They didn’t cook long enough. I didn’t let the pressure release naturally. The ribs tasted good, but they were rather tough to eat.

Ever since that time, I make sure my ribs cook long enough. Short ribs really do need to cook at least 90 minutes in high pressure. Then allow the pressure to naturally release. This will ensure that your ribs are fork tender and delicious.

Yes, I know there are recipes out there that have a shorter cooking time. Those recipes don’t tell you how thick their ribs are. The first fail I followed the cooking directions for one of those recipes. And they were almost too tough to eat.

Mine are English short ribs as opposed to the flanken ribs. English ribs are parallel to the bone leaving one larger bone with 1 1/2 to 2 inches of meat above the bone.. Same as you would to serve up pork ribs or lamb chops. Flaken ribs are perpendicular to the bone. Each rib has 3 to 4 short sections of rib bones in there. They are flatter than the English style short ribs.

The flanken ribs might cook in under 40 minutes, but I’ve tried the English ribs. They will not be tender if you only cook them for 40 minutes. I even tried 60 minutes. And they still were a little chewy. To get them absolutely tender, I cooked mine for 90 minutes and allowed for 20 minutes of natural release. Yes, that’s almost 2 hours, but I wanted them to be melt in your mouth tender. And they were!

What do coffee braised short ribs taste like?

Rich. And delicious! The coffee infuses the meat with a flavor that really makes the beef taste amazing. It’s not a coffee flavor. The coffee flavor is more in the gravy than the beef. But there’s that umami flavor of the beef braised in the coffee. It’s not easy to explain. You’ll just have to try it!

You cannot look at that bowl of yum without drooling. I know you’re drooling. I’m drooling!! The tender beef, the creamy masa polenta, and the rich red-eye gravy all party in your mouth. You will wish you HAD picked up a second pack of those thick ribs to have leftovers. Because you’re not going to have any leftovers if you don’t.

You see what I mean about the gravy? That coffee rich gravy just brings it all together. It wraps it’s red-eye goodness around everything in the bowl making sure you get some in every bite. My only regret is not having more of it!

You see how the gravy has a little red tint to it? That’s part of why it’s called red-eye gravy. The color of the gravy in a bowl by itself can look like a red eye. And you can see how creamy and delicious that polenta looks under those tender ribs and rich gravy.

I’m actually getting hungry just looking at that bowl. The ribs are super tender. The polenta is creamy and delicious with that little bit of cheese. And the gravy brings it all together. Serve it with a nice tossed salad and crusty bread to dip in that rich coffee gravy.

     

Best Beef Recipes

• 30 Minute Beef Taco Skillet from Blogghetti
• Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry from Jen Around the World
• Beef Fondue from That Recipe
• Coffee Braised Short Ribs from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Copycat Panda Express Beijing Beef from Palatable Pastime
• Copycat Smashburger from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Crockpot French Dip au Jus from Art of Natural Living
• Italian Wedding Soup Skillet from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Skirt Steak with Kale Chimichurri Sauce from The Spiffy Cookie

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