flanken

I’d always thought that flanken was specific to boiled beef or soup. But a little research divulged that the brawny cut is hugely popular in braises (and pot-roasting is arguably the same as braising), especially in Germany, Austria and Hungary. It also shines in Asian cuisines, particularly Korean, in which it’s seared and served rare.

Arthur Schwartz, in his book “Jewish Home Cooking” (Ten Speed Press, 2008), extols the virtues of flanken. He points out that it’s from the same part of the animal as short ribs, cut across rather than along the bones. But while short ribs have achieved culinary stardom and high prices, flanken remains cheap and obscure. And just as tasty.

Braised Flanken With Pomegranate

flanken ribs

salt, more to taste

black pepper, more to taste

olive oil

carrots,

celery stalks, diced

leeks,

garlic cloves, finely chopped

shallot, chopped

pomegranate juice

dry red wine

chicken stock,

thyme branches (see note)

rosemary

bay leaf

cloves

pomegranate molasses (optional)

pomegranate seeds

cilantro

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season meat generously all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear meat in batches until dark golden, 3 to 4 minutes a side. Transfer meat to a platter.

Add oil to pan and sauté carrots, celery, leeks, garlic and shallot until vegetables are softened and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes; season lightly with salt and pepper. Add pomegranate juice and wine, and cook, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan, until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Return meat to pot. Liquid should reach halfway up sides of meat. If not, add a little more stock or water.

Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook, turning meat every 30 minutes until fork tender, about 2 hours.

If you have time, let meat cool and chill overnight. The next day, remove fat from surface, then reheat over low heat. Stir in the pomegranate molasses if using, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and cilantro just before serving.

Mushroom Barley Soup with Flanken - Homemade Jewish Deli-Style Beef Soup, Savory and Comforting.

Mushroom Barley Soup with Flanken

meaty short ribs (flanken), trimmed (about 2 1/2 lbs)

olive

mushrooms

carrots

onion

garlic

stock

pearl barley

bay leaves

Salt and pepper

Rinse short ribs and pat dry. Generously salt and pepper them. With a knife, score the back side along the bone (this allows the meat to absorb more of the cooking liquid).

In a large stockpot, heat 2 tbsp olive or grapeseed oil over medium high heat. Add shortribs and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes on each side.

While the meat is browning, place dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with 3 cups of hot water. Allow to soak for 20 minutes.

Once the meat has finished browning, remove and set aside. Add roughly half of the white mushrooms to the stockpot and brown over medium high heat. Remove and set aside.

Add remaining half of white mushrooms to the pan and brown, adding additional oil as needed. Add carrots, celery, onion and the rest of the browned mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, then reduce the heat to medium.

By now the dried mushrooms will have softened. Drain the mushroom soaking water by straining it through a coffee filter or multiple layers of cheesecloth (use a mesh strainer or colander to hold the filter or cheesecloth) directly into the stockpot. Stir, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the liquid heats up.Give the soaked, softened mushrooms another quick rinse under running water to remove any remaining residue (wash carefully, grit can be hiding in the gills of the mushrooms). Chop the mushrooms into small pieces and add them to the stock pot.

Add the chicken, beef or mushroom stock, barley, bay leaves and seared short ribs to the stockpot. Stir to combine all ingredients. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Allow soup to cook, uncovered, for 2 hours or until the barley and short ribs are completely tender and the soup is nicely thickened. Add water during the simmer if the soup becomes overly thick. After cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste. I use about 1 1/2 tsp salt and a heaping 1/4 tsp pepper. Use whatever amount of seasoning tastes best for you.

Remove all of the short ribs from the soup and shred, then mix the meat back into the soup before serving. Alternatively you may serve whole short ribs on the bone, 1-2 per bowl of soup.

This is the best mushroom barley soup I've ever made and eaten. It's a bit more work with the dried mushrooms, but well worth it.

So delish! Made it exactly as written but added an extra 1/2 pound of sliced shiitake mushrooms to the mix! So flavorful! Thanks for another great recipe Tori!

This is the best mushroom barley soup I’ve made. I used soup meat instead of flanken because that’s what I had.

I made this for Rosh Hashanah 2023. Long Island, New York. I had used my Instant Pot Bone Beef Broth, which I made the day before. I must say that EVERYONE, for days afterwards, was saying that this was the most excellent soup they ever had. I found that the broth I made needed to be augmented with a container of Unsalted Swanson Beef Broth, as the homemade just wasn't enough. Next time, I'll make double IP Bone Broth. Still, seasoning the soup as suggested was just fine! Definitely will make this again. A HUGE HIT! Thanks.

Tori, question.  I made this DELICIOUS Soup last night.  It turned out perfect and tastes so good.  I refrigerated overnight to eat today.  It is very thick.  Should I just use additional broth to thin, or water.  If I use water I just don't want to lose any of the flavor.  Your thoughts.  Thank you for all your recipes.  Everything I make of yours is so yummy!

I have been making this soup using the Manischwitz vegetable soup mix and adding great northern beans, parsley, and a potato for maybe 40 years and my Ashkenazi Czechoslovakian-Hungarian Holocaust survivor mother made it before me. I was able to get Flanken this year although because of supply chain/pandemic issues, meat is becoming very expensive and harder to get. After I make it, I freeze portions of it.
My question for you is that I have trouble buying mushrooms (white button) because I can't shop myself in the pandemic. I am dependent on someone to pick it out for me from the supermarket and by the time I am ready to make the soup, the mushrooms go bad. I was wondering whether I can use canned mushrooms or if there are any other alternatives you can suggest since I can't look for a package of white mushrooms as I used to. I noticed that you suggested shitake mushrooms in one of the posts and I was wondering what I could ask for from the shopper. For example, would I say one pound of dried shitake mushrooms and do they come in a packet or a container?
Thank you.

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Braised Flanken With Pomegranate

Mushroom Barley Soup with Flanken

Top 2 flanken recipes from across the web

The most viewed flanken recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Braised Flanken With Pomegranate

Mushroom Barley Soup with Flanken

The most viewed flanken recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine