My Own Beef Barley Soup

I have really been craving beef barley soup lately, but none of the ones I've tried have knocked my socks off. So I created this one for dinner this evening, taking elements from many different recipes. This is the result - which got raving reviews from my husband. The leftovers for this can easily be frozen for later. *UPDATE 12/15/05* I have made this quite a few times, and I have found that depending on the ribs you use, you will probably need to skim the fat off first, before proceeding with the rest of the soup.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3  lbs short rib of beef
•  water
• 1  small onion, diced
• 3  carrots, peeled and cut in bite-size chunks
• 2 -3  stalks celery, sliced thin
• 8  ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (1 1/4ounce) package  au jus mix
• 1⁄2 cup pearl barley

Directions

1. Place short ribs in large pot.
2. Add water to cover.
3. Place on stove and bring to boil.
4. When ribs boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover.
5. Let simmer 1 hour or so.
6. Remove ribs from pot and let cool while you chop the veggies.
7. At this point you may wish to let the broth cool and then skim the fat, depending on how much there is.
8. Cut veggies up, adding to pot as you go.
9. Return pot to boil, then reduce to simmer.
10. Remove meat from bones of ribs.
11. Trim fat and discard. Cut meat into small pieces, add to pot along with veggies.
12. Simmer, covered, approximately 1 more hour.
13. Season to taste with salt/pepper and serve.