Beer-Braised Short Ribs

From Cook's Country

Time and gentle heat are the secrets to turning tough short ribs into a blue-ribbon dinner. Cooked long enough at a slow enough temperature, the meaty ribs turn fork tender and deeply beefy. The demands of short ribs seem perfectly addressed by a slow cooker, but few of the slow cooker recipes we have tried measure up. The meat has tasted bland and looked pale, and so has the sauce. We wanted to find a way to coax out the best of short ribs in a slow cooker. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

* Fully brown the ribs for the deepest flavor and best color.
* Prunes are the secret ingredient in this stew, lending a mysterious depth and deep flavor.
* Braise the ribs in a dark, sweet beer like Newcastle brown ale. The bitterness of hoppy beers can affect the stew’s flavor.
* Add soy sauce to deepen the flavor and color of the stew.
* Use tapioca to thicken the stew rather than flour or cornstarch, which will make the sauce taste starchy.
* When time allows, prepare the dish ahead of time and refrigerate ribs and sauce separately to easily remove the fat.

STEP BY STEP

Rib Rules

1. The ribs taste best if fully browned before going into the slow cooker. Brown the meaty side of the ribs, then turn them on each side to finish browning (you can lean the ribs against each other if they won't stand on their own).

2. Place the browned ribs in the slow cooker with the meaty side facing down and the bones facing up. This placement will ensure that the meat stays submerged throughout the long cooking time.

Beer-Braised Short Ribs

Serves 4 to 6

The only way to remove fat from the braising liquid is to prepare this recipe a day or two before you want to serve it. Luckily, the short ribs actually taste better if cooked in advance and then reheated in the defatted braising liquid.
5 pounds English-style beef short ribs (6 to 8 ribs), trimmed of excess fat
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds yellow onions , halved and sliced thin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 (12-ounce) bottles dark beer such as Newcastle Brown Ale and O'Doul's Amber Nonalcoholic
2 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
12 pitted prunes
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of ribs, meaty side down, and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Following photo 1, turn each rib on one side and cook until well browned, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining sides. Transfer ribs to slow-cooker insert, arranging them meaty side down, as shown in photo 2. Repeat with remaining ribs.

2. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet. Add butter and reduce heat to medium. When butter has melted, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, coating onions with tomato paste, until paste begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in beer, bring to simmer, and cook, scraping browned bits from pan bottom with wooden spoon, until foaming subsides, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in tapioca, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme, soy sauce, and prunes. Transfer to slow-cooker insert.

3. Set slow cooker on low, cover, and cook until ribs are fork-tender, 10 to 11 hours. (Alternately, cook on high for 4 to 5 hours.) Transfer ribs to baking dish and strain liquid into bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

4. When ready to serve, use spoon to skim off hardened fat from liquid. Place short ribs, meaty side down, and liquid in Dutch oven and reheat over medium heat until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Transfer ribs to serving platter. Whisk mustard and remaining teaspoon thyme into sauce and season with salt and pepper. Pour 1 cup sauce over ribs. Sprinkle with parsley and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.