Good Recipe for a Crowd: Beer-Braised Short Ribs

We've made this recipe a couple of times, always to rave reviews. Short ribs aren't on this list of Best Cuts for Braising, but they works fantastically well, cook quickly, and aren't expensive. Here they are (covered in a thick coating of brown sugar, paprika, curry, and cumin) before we browned and braised them. It was too dark to photograph the "after," but we've got Gourmet's shot below...

We spent a little less than $30 and had enough meat to feed seven or eight people. When we found this recipe, though, the reviews on Epicurious were mixed. The recipe is actually titled "Stout-Braised Short Ribs," and many people mentioned a bitter, unpleasant taste from the strong stout beer. Others loved it.

So we played it safe the first time we made it, compromising with a Yuengling Black & Tan that was half porter and half lighter lager. It was perfect, not bitter at all. When we made the dish again last night, we used Sam Adams Winter Lager and noticed a less robust flavor, but overall the dish was still great.

Short ribs tend to be a little fatty, but they're extremely tender, fall-off-the-bone good when in this type of dish, and it's easy to pick away the meat from the fat while you eat.

The recipe calls for rubbing the ribs with a spice mixture, then letting them sit in the fridge for an hour before browning them and adding all of the other ingredients for the braise. There are a few steps that take a little time, but not much—and once you get them in the oven, they only cook for 2 1/2 hours. In other words, it's a great make-ahead dish, and it can certainly sit in a warm oven for a while after it's cooked, but you can also start dinner in the afternoon and still have everything ready.

Get the recipe: Stout-Braised Short Ribs, from Gourmet

(Images: Elizabeth Passarella; Romulo Yanes for Gourmet)

i just had an amazing stout-braised short rib dish with squash spaetzle and roast beets. thick, glaze-like sauce, sweet, tangy, melted fatty goodness...um, maybe you should just ask the chef at Woodberry Kitchen in Bal'mer about it...I bet he'd tell you.

(nope, i don't work there or know anyone who does. i just loved the delicious little riblets)

posted by kitchen geeking on December 15th 2008 at 5:24pm
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Short ribs are my go-to in cold weather. If you start them when you get home (I skip the rub step), you can have a few nice, warming glasses of red wine and then a delicious dinner is ready. I like to braise them in red wine and beef stock, sometimes adding veg, sometimes adding some tomato paste, sometimes just the ribs themselves.

I serve 'em with buttered egg noodles or with mashed potatoes with a little fresh horseradish or prepared horseradish stirred in. MMMMmmmm. Short ribs and horseradish mashed potatoes are heaven.

Leftover short ribs are amazing in quesadillas.

posted by stewystew on December 15th 2008 at 6:53pm
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SHort ribs are expensive here (DC). Best recipe is Chipotle braised short ribs which you can find on epicurious.com (recipe from cafe annie in houston).

posted by greeps on December 16th 2008 at 10:39pm
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I made these last night (my first attempt at braising anything!) and they were amazing. This will definietly become my go-to dish when I need something warm and hearty. Thanks!

posted by apointe on December 17th 2008 at 9:41am
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