Braised Stout Ribs

March 16th, 2012 | Family Dinner, Moo, Occasions | 0 Comments

When I think of St. Patrick's Day, I remember the days of old {before kids} when we'd hit up a local Irish bar for green beer, shepherd's pie and homemade potato chips. I remember taking off work early, standing in a long line wrapping around the establishment at 2pm feet, the sounds of a local Irish rock band filtering outside and then once inside--beer sloshing and dancing my buns off with my best buds.

Ahh, that was the life....... give me a moment to reminisce, will you?

Thank you.

Now, its all I can do to remember to get my kids dressed with a bit of green for the day. We hardly even celebrate anymore with the exception of the food we make; and boy, oh boy do those Irish folks know how to grub! {They also know how to drink and be merry.} One of the things they are best known for are their beers--especially making a delicious stout. I purchased a six-pack of Guiness in hopes of preparing Erin's cupcakes this weekend, but was going to have a few bottles left over, so I thought I'd try braising some short ribs in it. Stout has a delicious, sweet creamy flavor and slow braising some beef in it sounded like a great idea.

The ribs turned out even better than I expected. I normally don't like to veer away from my standard short rib recipe because it is so good, but this was definitely worth it! So if you missed the boat on curing your own corned beef {or maybe you just don't like corned beef} try these short ribs for your St. Patty's Day celebration!

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless beef short ribs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2/3 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
18 oz Guiness Stout beer
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

Sprinkle the short ribs with plenty of salt and pepper on all sides. In a large skillet {I prefer cast iron}, heat the oil until it just begins to smoke. Add the short ribs to the oil, allowing them to sear and brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to the crock pot while you cook the vegetables.

Using the same skillet you seared the short ribs in (do not be tempted to wash out the skillet--you want the juice and browned bits from the meat to help season the vegetables) add the carrots, onions and celery. Stir occasionally for about 6-7 minutes until onions begin to turn translucent in color. Add in the minced garlic and stir for another minute. Transfer the vegetables to your crockpot covering the short ribs. Slowly pour in the Guiness {or other stout of your choice} until the meat and vegetables are almost completely submerged. I used about 1 1/2 bottles (18 oz), but depending on the size of your crockpot, you may require more or less. Turn heat to high and cook for 5 1/2 hours.

Remove short ribs from crockpot and set aside in a warm place--a warming drawer or oven set to Warm setting. Skim the fat off of the sauce and pour remaining vegetables and sauce into a large saucepan. Add brown sugar and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until liquid reduces by about half. Using an immersion blender, puree vegetables to make a thick, creamy sauce. Add short ribs back into sauce and allow to sit until ready to serve.

Serve short ribs over a mound of mashed potatoes and top with plenty of the delicious stout sauce. Garnish with something green and enjoy!