Recipes from James Ranch

Classic Pot Roast with Garlic-Thyme Gravy

Serves from 6 to 8

1 3-4 lb. James Ranch chuck roast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or beef fat
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups of low-sodium beef broth (preferably homemade)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups sliced onions
6 garlic cloves chopped
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces
3 large celery ribs, cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides, 10 minutes total. Transfer roast to a 4 to 6 qt. slow cooker.
Stir flour into pan; cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.
Deglaze sauté pan with wine, cooking until liquid evaporates. Stir in broth and Worcestershire; bring mixture to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits.
Transfer broth mixture to the slow cooker; add onions, carrots, celery garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and cook until meat is fork-tender on high-heat setting for 4 hours or on low-heat setting for 7 hours.
Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves before serving.

(via adjusted from Cuisine at Home magazine)

Hearty Beef Stew

This recipe makes a lot so you can freeze the rest and have on a rainy/snowy day when you don’t want to cook.

Serves 6-8

5 pounds James Ranch stew meat
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions , chopped medium
3 medium garlic cloves , pressed through a garlic press
1 ½ cups dry red wine
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 lbs. Russet potatoes, cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
5 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ to ¾ cup all purpose flour
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Instructions

Dry the beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Braise meat in two batches until pieces are browned on all sides using more oil as needed. Transfer to a bowl.
Return the Dutch oven to medium heat and add more 2 teaspoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onions and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour; cook until lightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the red wine; scraping the browned bits off the skillet bottom. Stir the broths, thyme, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Add meat; return to a simmer. Cover and place in oven; simmer for about 1 hour.
Remove Dutch oven from oven, add potatoes and carrots, cover and return to oven. Simmer until meat is just tender about 1 hour. Remove stew from oven. (Can be cooled, covered and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
Stir in the peas and parsley and allow to stand 5 minutes.
Adjust seasonings, and serve.

James Ranch Petite Prime Rib

- Serves 6-8 depending on size of roast

This is a very flavorful, simple way to cook our Petite Prime Rib.

Defrost James Ranch Petite Prime Rib in refrigerator with net on (will take at least 10 hrs.).
With netting still on, rub roast with your favorite rub (i.e. rosemary, thyme, oregano, sea salt and course pepper).
Brown all sides quickly in pan or on hot barbecue (do not over brown).
Place in 250 degree oven or indirect heat on barbecue until you reach 135 degree (medium rare) on an instant read thermometer place on the thick end of the roast. If cooking on the barbecue, rotate the roast during the slow cooking to keep cooking even.
Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut off netting, slice and serve.

Savory Braised Short Ribs

- Serves 6

We recommend you make horseradish mashed potatoes and The Garden’s green beans to go with this meal! Delicious!

4-1/2 to 5 lb. James Ranch beef short ribs
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
Kosher salt
ground black pepper
2/3 cup medium-diced carrots
2/3 cup medium-diced celery
2/3 cup medium-diced onions
2 whole dried bay leaves
1/2 cup pitted olives
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
1/2 to 1 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 cup sherry
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup lower-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup diluted lower-salt beef broth
1 to 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Season the ribs with 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Add half of the ribs to the pot (or as many as will fit without overlap), and cook, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the ribs to a platter and repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan.
Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil, carrots, celery, and onions to the pan. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring until the aromatics are soft and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add bay leaves, olives, thyme, garlic, and allspice, and cook, stirring, until well distributed and fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour the sherry into the pot and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until the liquid is reduced to about 2 Tbs., about 1 minute.
Transfer all the ribs and juices that have accumulated back into the pot. Pour the red wine, chicken broth, beef broth, tomatoes and 1 cup water over the ribs. Using tongs, arrange the ribs as evenly as possible no more than 2 layers deep.
Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover, and put the pot in the oven. Cook, turning the ribs with tongs about every 40 minutes, until they are fork tender, about 2 hours. (The meat may fall off most of the bones about midway through cooking; this does not mean that the ribs are fully tender.)
Transfer the ribs to a serving platter or dish. Let the sauce and solids sit in the pot for a few minutes to cool and with a shallow spoon, skim off the fat from the surface. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and add the vinegar. Serve the ribs with the sauce spooned over, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Braised Brisket with Mushrooms, Carrots and Thyme

- Serves 12

A Warm Winter Recipe For When You are Tired of Turkey

2 Tbs. sweet paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8-1/2 to 9 lb. James Ranch beef brisket (whole brisket), untrimmed of fat. This recipe can be cut in half and a half a brisket used.
5 Tbs. vegetable oil
6 large yellow onions, diced (about 12 cups)
3 to 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 15-oz. can tomato purée
1 cup dry red wine
4 large sprigs fresh thyme
8 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
10 oz. cremini or white button mushrooms, quartered if large, halved if small (3 cups)

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1 Tbs. pepper. Rub the mixture all over the brisket. Let rest at room temperature for two hours or cover and refrigerate overnight (bring the meat to room temperature before cooking).
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and pale gold, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the onions to a large heavy-duty roasting pan and spread them in an even layer. Set the brisket fat side up on the onions (it’s okay if the pieces overlap), cover tightly with heavy-duty foil (or a double layer of regular foil), and braise in the oven for 1 hour. As the brisket cooks, it will give off quite a bit of liquid.
Pour the tomato purée and wine around the brisket and add the thyme sprigs. Cover and continue to braise the meat for 2-1/2 hours.
Add the carrots and mushrooms and continue to braise, covered, until the meat is fork-tender, about 1 hour more.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board and trim the fat. With a slotted spoon, move the vegetables to a serving bowl.
Skim the excess fat from the pan juices, strain 2 cups of the juices, and bring to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced to about 1 cup; the sauce should be rich and flavorful.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Slice as much brisket across the grain as you need for the meal and serve with the vegetables and reduced sauce. Wrap the leftover brisket, vegetables, and juices separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Ketchup and Brown Sugar Glaze

For all of you that love comfort food in the fall and winter, this recipe is one of the Stewart’s favorite! Make some buttermilk mashed potatoes and a side of green beans from The Gardens at James Ranch for a complete meal!

Brown Sugar - Ketchup Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup or chili sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar or white vinegar

Meatloaf

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , chopped medium
2 medium cloves garlic , minced
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup whole milk or plain yogurt
1 pound James Ranch 100% Grass-fed ground beef
1 pound Whey-Good Sage Sausage
2/3 cup Saltine crackers , crushed (about 16), or quick oatmeal, or 1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
6 - 8 ounces Whey-Good bacon (8 to 12 slices, depending on loaf shape)

Instructions

For the glaze: Mix all ingredients in small saucepan; set aside.

For the meatloaf:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining ingredients.
Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in large bowl along with crackers, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture sticks, add additional milk or yogurt, a couple tablespoons at a time until mix no longer sticks.)
Turn meat mixture onto work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into approximately 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on foil-lined (for easy cleanup) shallow baking pan. Brush with half the glaze, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping slightly and tucking only bacon tip ends under loaf.
Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. Cool at least 20 minutes. Simmer remaining glaze over medium heat until thickened slightly. Slice meat loaf and serve with extra glaze passed separately.