Now let's get to this sandwich. I am a very visual person. When I look at recipes I love to see pictures of what it is that I'm trying to make. I've passed by many cookbooks that are all words and no photos. I'm sure they may have some great recipes, but I need to see what I'm making. This sandwich was featured smack-dab on the front cover of last months Bon Appetit magazine. Gooey melty cheese, crisp toasty bread, and perfectly browned short ribs. There it was just staring at me. Of course it wasn't meant to be gluten free, but that has never really stopped me. I have always wanted to try short ribs and this seemed like a perfect excuse to do so.
Grilled Cheese and Short Rib Sandwiches:
from Bon Appetit, modified to be GF
Serves 8 with the full recipe. I made half but I'll give you the full recipe here.
Short Ribs:
5 pounds beef short ribs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup low-salt beef broth
1/3 cup medium-dry Sherry
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 large fresh thyme sprig
Pickled Caramelized Onions:
1 tablespoon butter
2 large red onions, halved, thinly sliced crosswise (about 6 cups)
4 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Assembly:
Butter, room temperature
16 slices gf sandwich bread (We use Whole Foods brand)
8 slices Monterey Jack cheese (I used Colby Jack cheese)
2 cups baby arugula (I used Romaine lettuce)
For the ribs, sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Working in two batches, brown the ribs on all sides then transfer to a plate. 
Next, saute the celery, onion, and carrot until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, broth, Sherry, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil, scraping up all the browned bits. Season with a little more salt and pepper. Return the ribs to the pot, propping them up on their side in a single layer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, turn the ribs over. Cover and continue cooking for 1-1/2 hours. After the ribs are done cooking, remove them from the pot. Trip off excess fat and remove them from the bone. Cut the meat into 3/4-1 inch pieces.
While the ribs are cooking, prepare the caramelized pickled onions. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt, and saute until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes-stir frequently. Add the vinegar and sugar and cook until most of the vinegar is absorbed, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.
To make your sandwich, butter two sides of bread. Add the cheese, meat, onions, and arugula. (I used Romaine lettuce) Top with the other slice of bread and grill until crisp and the cheese is melted.
Crispy, gooey, and hearty. Everything a sandwich ought to be. Enjoy!!!I almost forgot. This beautiful blue Dutch oven that I cooked my ribs in came from Margo at Off The Wheaten Path. She had a contest a few months back and I won. This was my first time using it. Thanks again Margo, I love it.
The original French bread baking instructions call for 35 minutes of baking, cover with foil, and bake another 35 minutes. I reduced the time by 5 minutes before covering with foil and reduced by 5 minutes after covering with foil for a total 60 minutes of baking. 
The results turned out great. I ended up with 4 hearty, rustic, sub-sandwich loaves.
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix thoroughly with your hands.
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Using a Tablespoon, scoop out 1 spoonful of meatball mix and shape into a roughly 1 inch diameter meatballs. Note: use a little water in the palm of your hand to help roll the meatballs without them sticking to your hand. Also, try to roll the meatballs just until firm and held together. Avoid compacting the meatballs too tightly. Place the finished meatballs on the plastic wrap lined pan. Cover the raw meatballs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. The meatballs could even be made the day before you plan to eat them.
For part of the sandwich filling; combine the carrots, radish, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
To cook the meatballs, heat 1 Tbs of sesame oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, cook the meatballs, leaving plenty of space between each one. Turn the meatballs frequently to cook all sides. it should take about 15 minutes per batch of meatballs. I used an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature. Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. As the batches of meatballs are cooked, placed the finished ones in a baking dish in the oven to stay warm.
Let's put it all together. Slice the bread in half lengthwise, leaving the back of the loaf attached like a little hinge. Spread the hot chili mayonnaise on the inside top and bottom of the bread. Drain the liquid from carrot/radish mix. Place 1-2 heaping spoonfuls of carrot/radish mix along with 4-5 warm meatballs inside the sandwich. Add a few sprigs of cilantro and some slices of jalapeno (if desired.) I can't even begin to accurately describe how all the flavors explode in this sandwich. You get some heat from the sriracha, a little sweetness from the pickled carrots and radish, tenderness from the meatballs, and crunch from the bread. This is one incredible sandwich. I can't wait to try some of the other amazing meatball recipes from Bon Appetit. Enjoy!!!
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