BBQ Beef Ramen

From Mark Smrecek

Even before he showed up on February 20, Mark had been detailing the evolution of his BBQ Beef Ramen on Twitter all week — so I was beyond primed, and excited to see just what it was exactly he had in his pot. The warm, richly aromatic blast of steam that hit my nose was just a tease for what followed. Mark has a beautifully detailed writeup of his process on his own blog, From Belly to Bacon.  I urge you to read it. The pertinent point not mentioned in his account is that he had made ramen for the first and only time just two months ago, in December — so this is, among many other things, an inspirational tale of how research and ingenuity can lead to triumphs, even in the world of soup. Mark’s abbreviated recipe follows. I’m not going to try and adapt it to our standard S&B style — I would probably just screw it up, and it is perfect as it is.

 

Noodles

2 lbs. dried somen noodles

Boil 2 gallons of water. Boil noodles based on directions on package.

Broth

8 lbs. beef knuckles
18 pieces kombu
1 quart dried shiitake
2 bunches scallions
2 carrots
1 handful of katsuobushi

Place kombu is 3 gallons of water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes.Top up water and remove kombu with a slotted spoon.

Add shiitake to boiling water. Boil for 30 minutes. Top up water and remove and reserve shiitake.

Add beef knuckles to boiling water. Boil for 7 hours. Stirring when the opportunity moves you. Topping up the water level every hour or so. It should be a milky white color at this point.

Add scallions and carrots to boiling water. Boil for 2 hours. Top up the water level every hour.

Turn off heat. Add katsuobushi, stir, and let mixture steep for 10 minutes. Strain broth.

Add tare (see below), tasting to make sure it is seasoned to your liking. It should border on being too strong as you will be adding garnish.

Tare

4 marrow bones
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup pilsner
1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
1 cup cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roast marrow bones until the marrow is nearly liquid in a dutch oven. Scoop out marrow into the dutch oven, keeping the bones with them.

Add pilsner, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Drink the remainder in the bottle or can for making it this far and for fortitude.

Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.Cook on high on the stovetop for 45 minutes.

Let cool for 30 minutes. Remove bones, picking any meat or marrow from bones and add it back to the pot.

Pour contents of the pot into a blender jar and blend for 30 seconds to a minute.

Garnishes

Soy pickled shiitakes
Spent shiitakes from above or 1 guart dried shiitakes boiled, reserving water
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup cider vinegar
1 thumb size piece of ginger, peeled

Combine shiitakes and 2 cups water or if cooking without ramen broth, heat mushrooms over medium-high heat in water to cover until soft.

Let sit for 30 minutes. If not cooking ramen broth, remove from heat before this step.

Add shiitakes, 2 cups soaking liquid, and the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Store in fridge.

Soy Meringue

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine egg whites, soy sauce and cream of tartar in a clean mixing bowl

Using beaters or a stand mixer, whip into a froth. Once whites have begun to set, add sugar 1/4 cup at a time.

Once egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, spoon onto a papered baking sheet and place in oven.

Turn off oven immediately and let sit overnight.

Don’t peek.

Seriously don’t peek.

Remaining ingredients

Sliced roasted beef navel or brisket
Sliced kielbasa
Dill pickles
Scallions
Nori

Combine all in soup bowl to taste, with broth.

Posted: Monday Feb 25,2013 10:15 AM In Soup Recipes