1. It's fun!
2. It's cheaper.
3. Generally, it tastes better. (Exceptions would be things I can't cook myself - like Thai, or sushi, or really authentic Mexican food - my absolute favorite cuisine...)
Oh, wait. That would actually be three reasons, Hol.
Hoo Boy.
Anyhoot...before we left Florida for this mini-deployment, I saw a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine, in their RSVP section. And to make a long-story-longer, I'd like to note that I rarely like braised, or any other type of slow-cooked meats. Armour's Osso Bucco is a notable exception.
This dislike drives me a little bit crazy, though, because I know (!) we're missing out on delectable things like Puerto Rican oxtails, Moroccan chicken with preserved lemons, coq au vin, or any number of slow-cooked dishes from around the world.
I mean, People - I really don't even like chili. How bad is that????
So with all of that in mind, I tried this short rib recipe (which I can't find now online, but it really doesn't matter because it turned out to be horrible anyway.)
Here's why: the butcher convinced me to buy the shortribs he was selling: boneless shortribs. ("You pay too much for the bone that you can't eat, ma'am.")
Don't ever do that. It's worth it to buy them on the bone...the bones impart a lot of flavor, they're nice to nibble on (and if it's just family eating them with you, who cares?) and you can then use the scraps and bones for wonderful beef stock - so you definitely get your money's worth.
Here's the picture of what I started with:
It looks like it would be good, doesn't it? (And don't you love the little salt & pepper vessels? Perfect for my kitchen. From Sisi - natch.) The ingredients are simple, colorful, not too many flavors - but I didn't even take a picture of the end product because it was a brown, glutinous, every-flavor-but-beef Mess.
The moral of the story is: whoever heard of ribs without the ribs? Don't waste your money on bad butcher advice.
Hmmph.
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