Gluten-Free Ketchup

Crockpot/Slow-cooker Beef Tips & Gravy

We usually have 2 pounds of beef stew meat lurking in the freezer. We mostly use it in the fall or winter seasons, but beef cravings can hit anytime; it's best to be prepared!

Crockpots [technically we have a slow-cooker] are nice - you toss the stuff in - head off to work - when you return - dinner awaits! It's great getting out the vehical in the garage; you can smell dinner even before you walk into the house.

In this case, Peg had off of work, but was busy around the house so she decided to make this. Down home comfort food...

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Ingredients:

1/4 cup GF sweet rice flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup GF Sorghum Flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 dash black pepper
2 pounds sirloin or beef stew meat -- cubed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
7 1/4 ounces (just shy of 1 cup) gluten-free beef broth
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (USA Lea & Perrins brand is gluten-free, many brands are not)
1 teaspoon gluten-free ketchup (Heinz)

Optional Seasonings: Penzey's Bavarian Style Seasoning or Penzey's Herbs de Provence


Directions:

Combine flour, salt and pepper. Toss beef cubes in seasoned flour mixture to coat. Place in slow cooker.

Cover with onions and mushrooms.

Combine beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. Pour over beef cubes.

Cover and cook on low 7 to 12 hours. Before serving, check gravy consistancy, if it is too thick, add some more beef broth.


Notes:

Mushrooms were omitted this time because for some strange reason we were out. Bavarian & Herbs de Provence were added.


Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Original recipe: Cook's Country

This is our favorite and go-to mashed potato recipe.

Ingredients:
4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, quartered, ½” pieces
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 garlic cloves, minced [We use 4-5]
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place cut potatoes in colander. Rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly. This is a very important step to eliminate excess starch, which produces gluey mashed potatoes.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook garlic and sugar, stirring often, until sticky and straw colored, 3 to 4 minutes. Add rinsed potatoes, 1 1/4 cups half-and-half, water and 1 teaspoon salt to pot and stir to combine. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, add remaining butter to pot and mash with potato masher until smooth. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining half-and-half until liquid is absorbed and potatoes are creamy. Season with salt and pepper.


Spare Ribs with BBQ Sauce

BBQ Ribs

While perusing the meat cases at Brandon Meats, I saw a nice rack of ribs. I had never cooked ribs, but they looked too good to pass up.

Since Google and I are on a first name basis, I decided to see what he could dig up for me. I finally decided upon this recipe at AllRecipes.com. Since it was basically gluten-free from the get-go, there was little converting. Be aware - many Worcestershire sauces are not gluten-free, as well as soy sauces.

Not all of our recipes are "Company Food", but we have deemed this worthy of that title. Company Food is food that we'd serve to guests or at family functions.

Not being one that strictly follows recipes, I decided to modify the one I found and created what you see below.

If you are making this recipe for a gluten-free guest, please read our Guide to Gluten Cross-Contact.



Meat Ingredients:

A rack of 12 (or more!) spareribs

Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup of brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cups of ketchup
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 cup GF soy sauce (La Choy)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF in the USA)
1/4 cup of rum (optional)
4 cloves of crushed garlic
2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon Penzey's Chili 3000 mix

Misc. Ingredients:

1 Bottle GF Beer - Use when oven roasting the ribs


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, mix all sauce ingredients together.
Pull out about 1/4 cup of sauce for coating the raw ribs. This prevents contaminating the entire batch of sauce with raw meat.
Cut ribs into manageable pieces (I had 2 slabs of 6 ribs).
Liberally coat raw ribs with the sauce.
Place ribs in a container and store in fridge 1 - 2 hrs or overnight if you have time.

Remove ribs from fridge & wrap in tinfoil - double layers if you like.

Pour bottle of beer in large roasting pan.
Insert a small oven safe rack in the pan. I used 3 "snakes" of tinfoil since I had no rack. This keeps the meat out of the beer.
Place ribs in the pan.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove & unwrap ribs.
Apply another coat of sauce and loosely wrap.

Preheat Grill to 350 - 400. I used a gas grill.
Apply vegetable oil to paper towel and wipe on grill grate.
Place ribs on grill grate. Meat side up.
Use in-direct heat when grilling the ribs. Burnt ribs are not good eats!
Every 10 minutes - add another layer of sauce.
Total grill time about 30 - 40 minutes.

Enjoy!


Al Notes:

This entire cooking process does take about 3 hrs like the original recipe states. It depends on how long you leave the ribs marinade after the roasting. I left mine sit about 30 - 45 minutes before grilling. Your patience will be rewarded!

Note: I doubled the amount of sauce, however I didn't double all the ingredients. I didn't have chile sauce so I replaced it with ketchup & chili seasoning mix.

Adjust the ingredients of the original sauce to your liking. I didn't want my sauce to be too sweet, so I didn't double the brown sugar.

I didn't have Chile sauce so I sub'ed with ketchup & chili seasoning. I also increased the dry mustard.

I did not double the rum, I wasn't sure how it was going to taste. We happened to have some White rum we brought back from our last trip to Jamaica. You could taste the rum, but not over powering.

Taste it as you go - adjust accordingly - and make notes!

There's a good bit of sauce leftover. We plan to use it on chicken next!

Next time, I'd cut back the chili seasoning a bit. The sauce applied to the ribs was perfect after cooking. The unheated sauce has a bit of a bite to it. This is good if you like a little extra bite. Peg does not, I do.

Options:

Next time, I think I'll put the meat directly in the GF beer, I opted not to this time since it was the first time making this. I added the beer so the meat wouldn't dry out.

Slab-O-Ribs