Balsamic and Beer-Braised Short Ribs

May 17, 2018

A couple of weeks ago, I let my youngest son pick the recipe, so this week I let my older son pick a recipe for me to try from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. He’s a big meat eater, so of course he picked short ribs. I had never make them before, and I have to say I will definitely be making them again.

Balsamic and Beer-Braised Short Ribs
5 pounds bone-in short ribs
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bottles dark beer
2 to 3 cups beef stock
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

  1. Prepare the braise: Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Once the oil is hot, brown the short ribs on all sides, in batches. Transfer the browned ribs to a plate, and then repeat with remaining ribs.
  2. Braise the ribs: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Once the ribs are browned and removed from pot, turn down to medium-high and pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the oil and fat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and a little brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for 3 minutes more. Add the tomato paste, and cook for another few minutes, until thickened; then add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and beer. Return the browned ribs to the pot. Add enough beef stock just to cover the ribs. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then turn off heat. Cover the pot tightly with foil, then with a lid.
  3. Bake for 3 hours. Meat should be falling off the bones. Remove from the oven and let ribs rest for 15 minutes before serving. (My family woudln’t wait and started picking at the ribs before I could get them on the table.)

My notes: As I said previously, these turned out great. I only bought a couple of pounds of short ribs because they were expensive. But the meat is so rich, it was plenty. I served them, as suggested, with Parsnip Puree (I’ll share that recipe tomorrow)and roasted broccoli. It was the perfect Sunday dinner meal. This is one of those dishes that seems complicated and fancy, but is really quite simple to make. If you are a meat eater, I highly recommend you give this recipe a try.

 

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