What I Just Cooked: Short Rib Sandwiches

I was watching some show on TV (I think it was Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) and I see this incredible short rib sandwich being featured. It had red onions and gruyere cheese dripping all over it. Now, I love short ribs and I love short rib sandwiches. I particularly loved the sound of the red onions and gruyere, so I couldn't wait to make my own version of it.

First, I stewed the short ribs with the only things left in the refrigerator: celery, half an onion, a clove of garlic and an old bottle of Paulaner beer. To add flavor, I first browned the ribs until they were pretty crusty. To add even more flavor, I sauteed all the vegetables in olive oil until I could smell the sugar in the air. At the very end, I added about a tablespoon of tomato paste and let it toast a bit. I then put all the ingredients together in my trusty Creuset stewing pot and let the lot simmer for about four hours. With some salt and pepper, of course.

As it turned out, Paulaner made a fantastic braising liquid. Better than beef broth or consumme. I could have used the Paulaner broth as is, but I wanted a really rich, thick gravy so I strained the broth, degreased it, boiled it down by a third and added beurre blanc. The end result was restaurant perfect. Tasted like I'd used glace de veau, without the heavy, MSG salty flavor you often get at restaurants.

So, to assemble the sandwich! On toasted hamburger buns I put down a layer of thinly sliced red onions, a layer of shredded short ribs, a layer of gravy and a layer of cheese. BTW, I wasn't in the mood to buy a big chunk of gruyere at $9 a pop, so I just mixed together leftover Monterey Jack (for the melting factor), leftover Parmesan and leftover Pecorino.

How did it turn out? A+ But then, how can you go wrong with short rib sandwiches?