Webster Ridge Farm Food Essay

Beef and Barley Soup

Mary makes good soups. If you're ever lucky and get invited to dinner in the winter, this soup is likely to be on the menu.

Old fashioned.

This essay is about beef shin and one of the best, really easy soups you will ever make. You will also learn a lot about the almost lost art of braising meat. The result is a clear(ish) broth with small bits of carrot, onion, celery and shredded beef. I have friends and customers that will testify to the fabulous taste and texture of this soup.

This recipe is very forgiving.

In fact, I am not going to give you really exact quantities, but I promise you it will work. Actually I am lying - I will tell you to use EXACTLY no more than 1/2 cup of barley. Barley expands a lot and you will end up with porridge if you are not careful. Of course, you might want that...

Lean and flavorful.

The beef cut for this recipe is 1 piece of beef shin. Now there is a great deal of variability in the size of beef shin sizes, so we need to narrow it down a little. We like pieces about 2 inches thick, with a bone about 2 inches in diameter and a total oval size of 5 x 8 inches. Anywhere from 1.5 and 3 pounds will do. If you use a 3 pounder you will have something a little more stewish, if you're of that persuasion.

The rest of the ingredients

  1. 1/2 cup diced (SMALL - don't be lazy - less than 1/2 inch please) celery
  2. 1 cup diced (SMALL - don't be lazy - less than 1/2 inch please) carrot
  3. 1 small diced (Really SMALL - don't be lazy - less than 1/4 inch please) onion
  4. 1/2 cup (uncooked) Quick Barley

    5. This is not a stew - please cut the veggies small.
  5. Salt - we use about 1/2 teaspoon in this recipe - try starting with that and adjust if you feel the need at the end.
  6. Herbs and Spices - About 10 peppercorns, bay leaf and about 1 teaspoon of Penzey's Northwoods Seasoning works very well. This mixture includes paprika, black pepper, thyme, rosemary and a little chipotle. There are other possibilities - definitely thyme, rosemary and marjoram are good beef herbs.

The first cooking:

First you need to braise the beef. Use a dutch oven or large heavy pot, 10 - 12 quarts. Brown the meat lightly on all sides. This has nothing to do with sealing anything in, no matter what you were told when you were young and impressionable. It creates complex flavors. Do not over do it - a little browning is plenty.
Pour in 8 cups of water, add the peppercorns, bay leaf and the salt. No veggies yet! Bring to a boil and turn down the heat until it is just bubbling a little. Cook for at least 2 hours before you even try testing for done-ness. We go about 3 hours. Skim a couple of times to remove the stuff that rises to the surface. If you buy your beef from us, there will be almost no fat to skim. It is done when a straight-tined fork slips back out when thrust straight down into the meat. If you need to wiggle, push it off the fork or do the jerk, it is not done. Try it at about 45 minutes to see what I mean.
Take out the beef (leave the bone if it falls off). You may store overnight if you want.

The second cooking

Now it is time to make the soup! Strain out the peppercorns, bay leaf and other assorted bits. This should be relative clear. Add water back up to 8 cups and bring to a boil.

Add the Rest of the Ingredients and cook

While you are waiting to the stock to boil, dice the veggies and throw them in the pot, along with the barley (after the 3rd time making this, try 1 cup (uncooked) rice and cut the cooking time). Once it comes to a boil, turn it down - let it just bubble.

The finish

This will need to cook until the veggies have become tender and the flavor becomes one. We go about 45 minutes. While you are waiting, pull apart the beef with two forks. There should be no chunks - a uniform, slightly stringy appearance is good. Add this back to the pot about 15 minutes prior to when you think it will be done. If it needs to go a little longer, that is ok.
Correct the seasoning (might need a little salt, maybe some ground pepper or more 'Northwoods').
Serve with bread, A Bitter Greens Salad and a big red wine such as a Hunter Valley Shiraz or Merlot.

Sources:

Penzeys Spices - there is no other place to buy spices. If you still have it in 4 months, you bought too much. At minimum, try their Black Pepper, Cassia, Vanilla and Herbs de Province.
Beef Shin - Webster Ridge Farm, naturally...Charolais, Black Angus, Scots Highland