Slow Cooked Short Ribs in Maple Stout

Meat on a bone...I don't care what anyone says, but meat cooked and eaten off the bone tastes better. Always. This applies to chicken, pork, beef, you name it. The flavour and moisture of the meat is just far superior.

Having said that, I have this ongoing fascination with short ribs. I see them all the time, and they have been on the "list of things to do" for ages. But, I have never gotten around to cooking them. That is, until now.

We were celebrating my brother in-laws successful completion of a real estate appraisal course. So, I figured, what better time than to cook some tasty meat that this occasion?

I found a recipe for slow cooked short ribs from the Canadian Living test kitchen that used Guinness. When I went to the liquor store, I found large bottles of local maple stout. First of all, you can't say no to supporting local business. Second, the sweetness and flavour of maple just sounded like it would be perfect for the short ribs. So, that's what I bought.

So, with very minimal effort, I got all the ingredients into a big pot, and set it on the stove to work its magic. And it did. The resulting meat was tender and delicious. My only recommendation? Cook more. Lots more. Leftovers that sit in the sauce overnight and get reheated taste even better than the original!

I served these short ribs with garlic mashed potatoes and cheesy corn muffins. Yum yum!

 

Slow Cooked Short Ribs in Maple Stout

Modified from: Canadian Living Magazine February 2012

Serves 4

2 cups Beef Broth

1 bottle (650ml) Maple Stout (or any kind of stout)

1/4 cup Tomato Paste

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Liquid Honey

2 Large Onions, thinly sliced

2 Carrots, diced

1 Celery Stalk, diced

3 Cloves garlic, minced

2 Bay Leaves

2 tsp Hungarian Paprika

1 1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

2.5 kg Beef Short Ribs

1/4 cup Flour

In a large pot, whisk together broth, beer, tomato paste, mustard and honey. The add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, paprika, salt and pepper.

Add the ribs. Bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 2 hours. Discard bay leaves and skim off the fat. (If you are making this ahead, remove the bay leaves, cool down and refrigerate over night. The next day, all of the fat will have solidified at the top, making it very easy to remove).

Whisk flour with 1/4 cup water until smooth; whisk into the pot. Cook on high until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

Serve your starch of choice!