From the menu of . . . JCT Kitchen, 1198 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-355-2252, www.jctkitchen.com.
Q: My husband and I love, love, love the Sunday suppers at JCT Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta. Chef Ford Fry's "meat and three" prix fixe menu is brilliant. Since the menu changes and our favorite entree (ever!) may go away, would you please, please, please request the recipe for the "apple cider pot roast"? We don't cook much, but I would venture to try his recipe for this melt-in-the-mouth entree.
Ingrid Dow, Smyrna
A: A pot roast is most typically prepared with chuck, brisket or top or bottom round. At JCT Kitchen, they make their “pot roast” with short ribs, which guarantees a succulent result, and serve the pot roast with boiled potatoes, garnished with chopped chives.
At JCT Kitchen, the first step for the beef is wood grilling and then a light smoking. Our home version suggests charcoal or gas grilling. Add some soaked wood chips to provide a little smoky flavor, or if you have a smoker, put it to use here.
Is there a restaurant recipe you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to svanatten@ajc.com and put "From the menu of” with the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
JCT Kitchen’s Cider Braised Pot Roast
Hands on: 45 minutes
Total time: 6 hours, plus resting time
Serves: 8
8 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus extra for grill
2 apples, halved
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cups apple cider
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup red wine
8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
8 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs thyme
15 peppercorns
Preheat gas or charcoal grill. If using soaked wood chips, add them to the grill.
Heavily season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper. Lightly oil the grill grates and cook ribs over high heat until browned on both sides. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil until very hot and cook apples, onion, carrot and celery until well browned. Pour in cider, cider vinegar and red wine and scrape bottom of pot to loosen browned bits. Add chicken stock, beef stock, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns; bring to a simmer. Add ribs, cover and put into oven. Bake 4 to 6 hours or until bones are loose and meat is very tender. Remove from oven, allow to cool, keeping ribs submerged in the liquid. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, remove the ribs from the braising liquid. Scrape off the congealed fat from the braising liquid and strain the remainder into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Continue to cook until liquid reduces by half, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer, return ribs to sauce and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Per serving: 634 calories (percent of calories from fat, 64), 41 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 46 grams fat (17 grams saturated), 112 milligrams cholesterol, 2,301 milligrams sodium.
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