Teriyaki Beef Short Ribs Revisited

I appreciate my readers, clients, and students
They often tell me about new books, products, restaurants, or practitioners that might be of interest to me and the people I serve. A few months ago one of my readers tipped me off to a new company, Coconut Secret, innovators of low-glycemic, gluten-free healthy foods. She wondered what I thought of their coconut-based sweeteners: coconut crystals and coconut sap.

I’ve dabbled with coconut palm sugar from EnerHealth Botanicals but I hadn’t heard of or tried coconut sap (the liquid version of coconut sugar). Coconut sap, coconut vinegar, and coconut aminos (a raw, lower sodium, gluten-free soy sauce alternative) intrigued me so I contacted the company to get samples. The only soy I regularly use in my diet is wheat-free tamari soy sauce. Finding something that tastes like but doesn’t contain soy could be a boon to my clients and students who have soy allergies and to those who want to remove all soy from their diets.

The queen of coconut
I’m already a dedicated fan and advocate of coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut flour, unsweetened coconut flakes, and coconut water. You’ll find tons of recipes calling for coconut milk in my Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes and Sauces, and many in The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook. You’ll find some on this site (use the search box on the left side of the page). As for coconut flour, check out my recent post on this with Calli's Fruit Cocktail Cake, and the article I wrote about baking with coconut flour in the April/May 2010 issue of Living Without Magazine. I’ll develop more recipes with it this year.

Coconut Aminos? What’s that?
It’s a soy-free seasoning sauce that you can use to replace soy sauce. It’s 100% organic, minimally processed, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, low-cal, vegan, contains 65% less sodium than conventional soy sauce. It contains 17 amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and an abundance of vitamins, and minerals. One teaspoon contains only 5 calories, less than 1 gram of carbs, and only 113 milligrams of sodium. It has a refreshingly light soy-saucey taste.

How is it different from soy sauce?
Besides the fact that it’s soy-free, the Coconut Aminos product is made differently. Traditionally brewed soy sauce and tamari are made by soaking, cooking, and fermenting soy beans (with or without wheat) with koji spores (a kind of mold used to start the fermentation process). The best quality soy sauces are made from non-GMO soy, the cheapest are made from genetically modified soy and often contain MSG, artificial flavorings, colorings, and other additives.

Coconut Aminos is made from raw coconut tree sap, which exudes from coconut blossoms before they form into mature coconuts. This sap is blended with a sun dried, mineral-rich sea salt and aged, without the addition of a fermentation booster (so no mold, yeasts, or bacteria are added) or added water. It's aged for 45 to 60 days.

Coconut sap contains amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, B-vitamins. It has a neutral pH. (By comparison beans and grains have an acidic nature.) One tablespoon of fresh coconut sap contains an amazing 192 milligrams of potassium, as much as 1/2 a medium sweet potato, 1/3 cup of asparagus, 1/2 cup celery, or 1/4 cup cooked winter squash. 

Photo right: Rachel Albert, ©copyright 2010; Those are the Teriyaki Beef Short Ribs with blanched asparagus and pan juices.

It’s a great paleo or primal alternative to soy sauce, particularly if you’re looking to raise your potassium to sodium ratio (as we outline in The Garden of Eating and Dr. Loren Cordain espouses in his book, The Paleo Diet) and Mark Sisson recommends on his blog Mark's Daily Apple and in his book, The Primal Blueprint.

How does it taste?
OMG! I love this stuff. I served the Coconut Aminos with leftover sushi, a mini hamburger, blanched vegetables and sea vegetables, and preservative-free, dye-free sushi ginger pickles (the pickles you can buy at Whole Foods or Sprouts Market) for dinner one day this week (photo right). In the absence of wasabi, I stirred prepared mustard into the Coconut Aminos for dipping my sushi (try honey mustard or creamy white mustard if you have it). I also used Coconut Aminos in a remake of the Teriyaki Beef Short Rib recipe (below). Really nice.

Photo right: Rachel Albert, © copyright 2010. Dipping sauce not included in photo.

Coconut Nectar
Unlike agave nectar, which is produced in a fashion similar to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), coconut nectar is literally tapped from the blossoms of the coconut tree. To read about how coconut tree blossoms are tapped for their sap, click here. (The sap is naturally sweet before anything is done to it whereas sap from a maple tree or from the agave plant are not immediately sweet and require long heating times to produce a sweet syrup. Did you know it takes 13 gallons of maple sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup?)

After tapping, the excess moisture from the sap is evaporated at a low temperature (that does not exceeding an average hot summer day in the tropics) for 1 hour. According to the company’s web site, “agave syrup is hydrolyzed at up to 140˚F for approximately 36 hours,” a much longer, more invasive procedure (with added enzymes) that turn the starchy agave bulb into high fructose syrup.

Whereas agave nectar has a fructose content of 90%, Coconut Nectar contains only 1.5% fructose with the remaining sugars in the form of sucrose (16%), and FOS, a prebiotic inulin that feeds the friendly flora in your intestines (82%). Coconut Nectar provides a sweet taste without the high fructose content or side effects of agave nectar, corn syrup, or HFCS. It’s a little thinner than honey but really delicious. I plan to try it in some kind of special treat recipe this weekend. Not sure what yet.

How does it taste?
Yummy I used Coconut Nectar to replace honey in a recipe for Teriyaki Beef Short Rib recipe (below) modified from The Complete Meat Cookbook that I made last weekend. I made the same recipe in May of 2009 using honey. I liked it just as much with the Coconut Nectar.

Photo right: Rachel Albert, © copyright 2010; the juicy fat on the ribs is a great source of omega 3s, CLA, and antioxidants! Yum!

For more on the hazards of agave
http://www.glycemic.com/AgaveReport.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/024892_fructose_food_health.html
Another Look at Agave Nectar (and why I don't recommend it)

Coconut Vinegar
This product, marketed by Coconut Secret, is 100% certified organic, raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and it’s manufacturer claims it is “healthier than apple cider vinegar.” What makes this vinegar special? It could be that the coconut trees are grown in mineral-rich, volcanic soil, giving the vinegar a similarly high mineral content. To view the impressive chart comparing the vitamin, mineral, and amino acid content of the raw materials used to make both vinegars, fresh coconut sap vs. fresh apples, click here.

It could be the ingredients that go into it. Whereas some companies make coconut vinegar from coconut water, this particular company says they makes it from the coconut sap, which contains more vitamins, minerals, and amino acids than coconut water.

It could be the process by which it is made and how long it’s left to ferment. Coconut Vinegar marketed by Coconut Secret is aged and fermented 8 months to 1 year. According to the company’s literature, “Coconut-water based vinegar undergoes an ‘assisted” fermentation process ofonly 2 to 4 weeks, by adding as a fermentation starter, either apple cider vinegar or muscavado cane sugar to catalyze fermentation.”

How does it taste?
So far I’ve only used it in the Teriyaki Beef Short Rib recipe (below) and that came out great. I plan to try it in vinaigrette and maybe in sparkling mineral water with stevia for a tangy soda like drink. I’ll post more as I use more of it.

For a few recipes using Coconut Aminos, Coconut Nectar, Coconut Vinegar, click here:

Note: I'll post more recipes as I create them, so if you aren't already subscribed to my blog, now's a good time to do so. See the SUBSCRIBE BUTTON on the left side of this blog about 2/3 of the way down. You'll get an email update whenever I add new posts.

Photo right: Rachel Albert, © copyright 2010. Those are the 100% grassfed Teriyaki Beef Short Ribs from Kenny Ashbacher, the Fishhugger w/blanched broccoli and coleslaw. Really delicious!

Teriyaki Beef Short Ribs

Serves: 3 to 4 (figure 1 pound per person before cooking)

I found this recipe in The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook: Healthy Cooking and Good Living with Pasture-Raised Foods by Shannon Hayes (Eating Fresh Publications). I’ve tried at least four of the recipes from the book and so far I’ve enjoyed them all.

This is the second time I’ve made this recipe using 100% grassfed beef short ribs. This time I used very meaty short ribs (cut from the vertebrae) from Kenny Aschbacher, aka The FishHugger, here in Phoenix, AZ. These were the meatiest, juiciest beef ribs I’ve made. They had plenty of visible fat and I didn’t trim any of it from the ribs. What are beef ribs without the fat?? Dry, dry, dry, which defies the whole purpose. If you live in Phoenix, get your orders in now. Kenny & Brenna leave for New Mexico in two weeks so there's not much time to stock your freezers before they leave for 6 months!

This recipe is adapted from a similar dish called “Korean-Style Oven-Browned Short Ribs” from Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly’s excellent book, The Complete Meat Cookbook. It is easy to prepare and extremely flavorful. Leftover sauce (heat it to liquify) taste great spooned over steak and salad (my lunch today) or over blanched veggies with chicken.

This is a great recipe for those on a budget, requires minimum time preparation, and it’s kid-friendly. Waste not: Oh, once you’ve cooked the ribs, don’t discard the bones! Deposit them in a bag in the freezer. When the bag’s full, you can make a batch of my bone-building broth, which takes all of 15 minutes of hand-on time and yields delicious, nutritious, economical broth for soups, stews, sauces, and more.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup tamari soy sauce (I used Coconut Aminos)
1 tablespoon ground (dried) ginger
1/4 cup honey  (I used Coconut Nectar)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
3 cups water (I use filtered Multi-Pure water for all cooking, drinking, ice, and beverages)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar or rice vinegar (I used Coconut Vinegar)
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and left whole
3 pounds beef short ribs (could be up to 4 pounds); do not trim them! (I used FishHugger Grassfed ribs)
4 tablespoons unrefined sesame oil (I prefer Eden brand); I actually forgot this step on my recent batch

1. In a large Dutch oven or other large pot (deeper is better than more shallow so the ribs remain immersed as they cook), whisk together the tamari (or Coconut Aminos), ginger, honey (or Coconut Nectar), water, and vinegar (try Coconut Vinegar); add the whole cloves of garlic.
2. Add the short ribs. Bring the pot to boil over high heat, turn the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. If you start to run out of liquid, add 2/3 cup water. Remove the ribs and keep warm, but continue to allow the broth to simmer, uncovered on the stove. Note: I suggest you turn the heat to medium and cook the pan juices down to syrupy consistency and about 1 to 1/2 cup sin volume.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450˚F.
4. Place the ribs on a roasting pan, meat side up, and brush with sesame oil. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the edges become crispy. Serve in warmed shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls (or more!!) of broth (reduced pan juices) poured on top. Note: I made the sauce so thick that it looked like a glaze for the meat and the parboiled vegetables I spooned it over. If you skip the broiling step and simply spoon the reduced pan juices over the ribs, they'll still taste fantastic! That's what I did this time.
   
5. Reheat the leftovers in a heat-proof Pyrex or Corningware container or stainless steel baking pan in a toaster oven at 250˚to 300˚F for 10 to 15 minutes, until warm. The ribs and juices also freeze well.

Comments

[Carrie@Organic and Thrifty]

Thank you so much for posting about this!!! This looks incredible. I don't know where to fine these products in stores, but I have contacted the company and hope to get some answers!

Thanks so much, these products will help so many people enjoy life again!

Carrie
www.organicthrifty.com

[Alexis]

I just tried the Coconut Aminos and it is great! Thanks for the reviews on the other products. They do not have carry them in my Whole Foods yet, but I will looking forward to trying them.

[Making Money Online]

Coconut vinegar is delicious but you might want to try cane vinegar too, it works equally well.

[how to prepare lamb]

Can't wait to try this with my favorite meat the lamb. I hope the new sauce can compliment it.By the way where do i get the coconut substitute?

[Ab Rocket]

Teriyaki beef!!! It makes me so hungry, i will order a beef steak for my lunch today. Thanks for the recipe and the procedure i will follow it and make my own teriyaki. Good share.