• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cooking With Wine Blog

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Contact Us
  • Our Story
  • Travel
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Contact Us
    • Our Story
    • Travel
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • ×
    Home » Main Courses

    Published: Nov 11, 2021 · Modified: Aug 29, 2022 by Angela and Mark · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Beer Braised Short Ribs

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Beer Braised Short Ribs
    Beer Braised Short Ribs

    Short ribs are an underappreciated cut of beef that, when cooked properly, are one of our favorites. They are full of beef flavor, tender, and pair perfectly with several starches – like rice, any potato, polenta…the list is long! So, when that cold front rolls into your neighborhood, it’s time to braise some short ribs – in beer! With Beer Braised Short Ribs, you end up with a super tender, flavorful and juicy dish perfect to serve over polenta or mashed potatoes!

    The Best Beer for Braised Short Ribs

    Yes, Cooking with Wine is braising in beer today (which we also love). Getting into the fall season, we decided on a pumpkin ale for our braising liquid, but you have many choices.

    However, we strongly advise against any hoppy beer, like an IPA or pale ale. Reducing a hoppy beer will concentrate the flavor to the point of having an unpleasant taste. It would be like adding 30 sprigs of rosemary to a dish! Just don't do it.

    How to achieve fall-apart tender beef?

    What makes this dish so good? The braise does. Braising requires a good size piece of protein and a liquid. You could do it on the stovetop, but using an oven is much easier and requires little to no attention.

    You've probably heard the saying "slow and low," which is a good descriptor for any long cooking method. The low refers to the temperature. So smoking and braising are two of the best examples of slow and low techniques. They are usually applied to tough but flavorful cuts of meat. You wouldn't treat a brisket like a ribeye and grill it like a steak - it would be horribly chewy. The same goes for short ribs, shanks, and other cuts that are usually sold as "roasts."

    Braising is just a roasting technique that happens to do it with a liquid. We are not boiling here, just covering the beef about ¾ of the way with the cooking liquid. Doing this for a long time at low heat will break down rigid connective tissue and let the short ribs become fall-apart tender and extremely full of flavor.

    The Sauce

    One of the best parts about braising is that the liquid becomes the sauce! And it will have so much flavor when it is completed, which is why choosing the proper liquid to braise in is so important. It is also open for various additions if you are in the mood! We kept it simple here, but you could reduce it further and add some cream or even butter if desired for an even richer sauce. Or add some more herbs, a splash of acid (lemon, vinegar, etc.) or even a touch more honey or sugar if you want a sweeter sauce.

    The point is to make it taste good, and if you’re serving over mashed potatoes, rice, or polenta, you want the sauce to add flavor to those!

    Because we are using short ribs in this recipe, you will end up with a decent amount of fat that you will need to strain out of the final sauce. We describe this in the instructions below.

    The perfect side dishes for Beer Braised Short Ribs

    Here are a few of our favorite options:

    • Smoked Gouda and Porcini Mushroom Polenta
    • Parmesan Peppercorn Mashed Potatoes
    • Pumpkin Rosemary Risotto with Taleggio Cheese
    • Homemade Pasta Recipes: Make It Today
    Beer Braised Short Ribs
    We love these Beer Braised Short Ribs over our Smoked Gouda and Porcini Mushroom Polenta!

    Enjoy!

    We hope you enjoy this recipe for Beer Braised Short Ribs! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!

    • Pork and Shiitake Mushroom Ragù
    • Guinness Beef Stew
    • Veal and Beef Shepherd’s Pie
    • Cozy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
    • Restaurant Style French Onion Soup

    Do you love our recipes?

    We work hard to provide you with delicious FREE recipes here on Cooking With Wine. If you love and value our content and want to support our efforts, you can contribute whatever amount you are comfortable with below.

    Buy me a coffee

    We will continue to provide you with recipes no matter what, so there is no obligation to contribute! Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated!

    Thank you for being part of our community! You are the reason we do what we do!

    Beer Braised Short Ribs

    Recipe by Angela and Mark Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy-Moderate
    Servings

    6

    servings
    Prep time

    30

    minutes
    Cooking Time

    4

    hours

    Ingredients

    • Ingredients
    • 4 lbs 4 bone-in short ribs

    • 2 tablespoon 2 kosher salt

    • 2 teaspoon 2 ground black pepper

    • 3 tablespoon 3 grapeseed, canola, or vegetable oil

    • 2 2 medium carrots- (about 150g), peeled and cut into ½” discs

    • 2 2 medium stalks of celery (about 150g) cut into ½” pieces

    • 1 1 medium to large onion about (about 300g) large chopped (½”)

    • 2 tablespoon 2 tomato paste

    • 2 tablespoon 2 flour

    • 5 5 cloves garlic - halved

    • 24 oz 24 brown ale or seasonal ale that is not too hoppy. (*see note at bottom)

    • 2 tablespoon 2 honey

    • Small handful of thyme sprigs (5-7)

    • 5 5 bay leaves

    • 5 5 parsley stems

    • 8 8 black peppercorns

    • 1-2 cups beef stock – depending on depth of your pot – just to top of meat

    Directions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F
    • Season the short ribs with the salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven (or braising pot) medium to medium-high heat, then add the oil. Add the short ribs, and brown on each side the best that you can. This will take 7-10 minutes, turning often enough to brown as much surface area of the meat as possible. Remove the ribs to a plate.
    • Turn the heat up slightly, and in the same pot, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent – about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, flour, and garlic. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, stirring often. There should be some browning on the bottom of the pan.
    • With the heat on medium high or higher, add a small amount (about 4 oz) of the beer and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Add the rest of the beer and add the honey. Stir the honey in well to combine in the liquid. Then add the thyme, bay leaves, and parsley stems. Stir to combine well. Then return the short ribs to the pot, bone side down, nestling them down amongst the vegetables in one layer. Add the beef stock to bring the liquid just to the top of the meat.
    • Bring the liquid to a boil, then place the pot, covered, in the oven for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove the lid and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.
    • Remove the pot from the oven, and carefully remove the short ribs. They will be extremely tender and may detach from the bone. Place on a plate, cover and keep warm.
    • Strain the liquid from the pot, removing all solids. The fat will come to the top – skim off as much as you can, then put the liquid into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid by about 25%, taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Serve over the short ribs.

    Notes

    • Getting into the fall season, we decided on a pumpkin ale for our braising liquid, but you have many choices. However, we strongly advise against any hoppy beer, like an IPA or pale ale. Reducing a hoppy beer will concentrate the flavor to the point of having an unpleasant taste. It would be like adding 30 sprigs of rosemary to a dish! Just don't do it.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @cooking_with_wine on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithwineblog

    More Main Courses

    • Pesto and Pea Bucatini Pasta with Grilled Chicken
      Pesto and Pea Bucatini Pasta with Grilled Chicken
    • Hen of the Woods Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Tarragon Sauce
      Hen of the Woods Pasta with Creamy Tarragon Sauce
    • Ancho Chile Corn and Poblano Crab Cakes
      Ancho Chile Corn and Poblano Crab Cakes
    • Sheet Pan Chickpea and Vegetable Medley Dinner
      Sheet Pan Chickpea and Vegetable Medley Dinner

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Classically trained chef, Mark, and wife and food photographer, Angela, are the cooking duo behind Cooking with Wine! Our goal is to create delicious and approachable recipes that you can make at home. We strive to make every meal special!

    More about us →

    Popular

    • Seared Ahi Tuna with Spicy Dipping Sauce
      Seared Ahi with Spicy Dipping Sauce
    • Dutch Yellowtail with Lemon Caper Cream Sauce and Spinach Orzo
      Yellowtail with Lemon Caper Cream Sauce and Spinach Orzo
    • Marinated Skirt Steak Street Tacos with Spicy Corn Salad
      Marinated Skirt Steak Street Tacos
    • Piña Colada with Dark Rum
      Piña Colada with Dark Rum

    Never Miss A Recipe!

    Subscribe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Our Story

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • FAQ

    Copyright © 2023 Cooking with wine blog