Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for a beefy, cheesy, rich French Onion Soup featuring a Creekstone Farms prime beef short rib for added goodness!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Running two Dutch ovens at once on the grill: Simmering the beef stock on direct heat while caramelizing the onions in a second pot on indirect heat lets both components cook simultaneously, and rotating them partway through speeds up the onions without scorching them.
- Building the short rib right into the stock: Simmering a whole short rib in the stock instead of using stock alone means the meat becomes fall-apart tender by the time the stock is ready, giving you shredded beef to add back into the soup with zero extra cooking step.
- Deglazing with sherry before adding flour: Reducing the sherry until it's almost gone concentrates its flavor into the caramelized onions before the flour goes in, so the sherry's sweetness doesn't get diluted once the stock is added.
- Broiling or torching the cheese right on top of the crock: Melting and browning the Gruyère directly over the individual bowl builds a bubbling, blistered cheese cap that ladling melted cheese on separately couldn't replicate.
Category
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Servings
10
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
741
Try Chef Tom's recipe for a memorable French Onion Soup on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill! Infuse your dish with rich flavor from prime Creekstone Farms beef short rib, nutty cheese, and grilled onions.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
-
1/4 cup beef tallow
- 5 lb sweet yellow onions, sliced thin
-
R Butts R Smokin’ R Beef Rub
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
-
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 day old baguette, sliced 3/4” thick rounds
-
extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb Gruyere cheese, grated
- 2 quarts beef stock
- 1 quart water
- 3/4 cup carrot, large dice
- 3/4 cup celery, large dice
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 bunch parsley stems, tied with twine
-
1 tbsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Tellicherry Black Peppercorns
- 1 Creekstone Farms Prime Beef Short Rib
For the beef stock:
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 450ºF, with the diffuser door removed for direct grilling.
- Preheat a large Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven over the direct flame for 5 minutes.
- Combine all ingredients for the beef stock in a Finex Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Cover with a lid and transfer to the grill. Slide the larger empty dutch oven to the indirect side of the grill and place the beef stock over the direct heat.
- Place the butter and beef tallow in the empty dutch oven. When melted, add the thin sliced onions. Season with R Butts R Smokin’ R Beef Rub and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are completely softened and caramelized (browning). This may take a couple of hours.
- *When the beef stock is simmering, you can rotate the two dutch ovens to allow the onions to brown quicker, but be careful not to scorch the onions.
- *The beef stock will naturally reduce while simmering, even with the lid on. When the short rib in the stock is fully tender and the meat is falling off the bone, strain the stock. Keep and shred the meat from the short rib, but discard the rest of the solids. You’ll need two quarts of beef stock for the French Onion Soup. If the stock has reduced to produce less that two quarts, top off the stock with water.
- When the onions are fully caramelized, add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the dry sherry and allow the liquid to reduce until almost entirely gone.
- Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and two quarts of beef stock. Add the shredded beef short rib. Bring to a simmer and let cook to slightly thicken, about 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Place baguette slices in a mixing bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat. Arrange on a sheet pan in a single layer. Transfer to the indirect side of the grill (on the right), and cook until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes.
- Ladle one cup of the French Onion Soup into a soup crock. Top with two slices of toasted baguette and one and a half ounces of grated Gruyere. Place under a broiler to melt the cheese and toast the top, or do the same with a propane torch.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why run two Dutch ovens on the grill at the same time?
Simmering the beef stock on the direct side while caramelizing the onions on the indirect side lets both components cook at once instead of sequentially, and rotating the pots partway through speeds up the onions without scorching them.
Why simmer a whole short rib in the stock instead of just using beef stock alone?
Cooking the short rib directly in the stock renders it fall-apart tender by the time the stock is ready, so you get shredded beef to fold back into the soup without any extra cooking step.
Why reduce the sherry until it's almost gone before adding the flour?
Cooking the sherry down concentrates its flavor into the caramelized onions first. Adding the stock too soon after would dilute the sherry before it's had a chance to reduce and intensify.
Why add the flour before the stock and Worcestershire sauce?
Cooking the flour into the onions for a couple of minutes first removes its raw taste and helps it blend smoothly into the liquid, rather than clumping if added directly to the stock.
Why broil or torch the cheese directly on the crock instead of melting it separately?
Melting and browning the Gruyère right over the individual bowl builds a bubbling, blistered cheese cap with real color. Melting cheese separately and ladling it on wouldn't create that same texture on top.
What internal temperature should the short rib actually reach?
This recipe cooks it until the meat is fully tender and falling off the bone, well past the USDA minimum of 145°F for whole-muscle beef. That extended simmer is what breaks down the connective tissue for shredding, not a food safety requirement.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — the stock, onions, and soup base all work fine on the stovetop in a Dutch oven; a broiler handles the cheese topping just as well as a grill or torch.
Recipe Highlights
Simultaneous two-pot cooking: Stock and onions cook at once instead of back to back.
Short rib built into the stock: Yields tender shredded beef with no separate cooking step.
Sherry reduction: Concentrates flavor into the onions before the stock is added.
Direct-broiled cheese cap: Builds a bubbling, blistered top that pre-melted cheese can't match.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 15.66 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 741
- Carbs
- 22 grams
- Protein
- 31 grams
- Fat
- 60 grams
- Sodium
- 876 milligrams
