short rib & gelatin?

[lestblight]

Hey guys im making a braised stew with short rib and i needed to add gelatin after so it can firm up and harden a bit.

I am wondering how much gelatin i should add since i suspect the short ribs to have some gelatin already with all that connective tissue.

Any thoughts?

thanks

[hotoynoodle]

having worked in restaurants all my life, as well as being an accomplished home-cook, i have never heard of this. bone-in short ribs will add their own gelatinous goodness for mouthfeel and richness in the sauce, but why do you want it to "harden"? as soon as you reheat the sauce that will melt...

[lestblight]

sorry guys

i am using the filling for making a saltena. a bolivian style empanada with a gelatinized filling

i need the filling hard so i can put it in my dough.

im just worried about adding too much gelatin and it being super hard.

[hotoynoodle]

can't you add the gelatin to the liquid after cooking the meat? the amount of gelatin is determined by the amount of liquid as well as the consistency desired.

eta: found these:

http://www.boliviaweb.com/recipes/english/saltenas.htm
with gelatin

and this without, but with marrow bones:
http://www.boliviabella.com/saltena-r...

[cowboyardee]

There's not enough info in your post to answer your question. Shortribs do indeed bring some of their own gelatin to the party. In any case, the amount of gelatin or any thickening or gelling agent you use (or not) would depend both on the ratio of liquid to the meat in your stew/braise and on your desired end effect.

A braise of shortribs that doesn't use a lot of liquid will likely not need a lot of help to set up if refrigerated. If you're trying to thicken the warm braising liquid to use as a sauce, you might want to pick another method - using another thickener, reducing the sauce, etc. If you want an aspic-like effect, you might just want to start with a homemade stock that already has a decent bit of gelatin in it.

[rasputina]

I've never heard of adding gelatin to short ribs.