Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs

I had come across this recipe a while ago and had never had a chance to try it, for various reasons. But I was waiting for a nice cool fall afternoon to try this and boy was it beautiful outside today. This paired with a day of football made for a great Sunday!

Before today, I had never worked with beef short-ribs before. I finally found them at the store but they were boneless…hmm. I was hoping for the bone-in version, but I picked up two packages and thought I was set. But I happened to stop at another grocery store and they carried the bone in version. So I picked up a package of those and within this dish I was set to do a taste comparison. That being mentioned I know that bone-in cuts of meat will ALWAYS offer up more flavor to the dish versus the boneless cuts. As I expected the bone-in variety was way more tender and tasty, but the boneless cuts were ok also.

These hearty beef short ribs are slow-cooked in stout, a dark beer that originated in the British Isles. It is made with dark-roasted barley, which lends a rich, deep color and bittersweet flavor to the beer. I served mine with mashed potatoes and carrots, vary the sides to fit what you prefer.

Stout-Braised Short Ribs (from William Sonoma)

3 lb. beef short ribs (bone in preferred)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. canola oil
2 yellow onions, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cups stout (such as Guiness Beer)
8 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)

Season the short ribs generously on all sides with salt and pepper. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until almost smoking. Working in batches (do not overcrowd), brown the ribs on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker.

In the same pan over medium heat, cook the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the stout. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the meat is very tender, on low for about 6 hours.

Transfer the ribs to a large bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Skim the fat off the sauce. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth. (I used a food processor, however works for you best)

Transfer the ribs to individual bowls. Spoon the sauce on top and garnish each serving with a parsley sprig. Serve immediately.