May 1st + Rainy & Cold = Guinness Braised Short Ribs

New England weather inspires me to cook in every season. Fresh picked vegetables from the garden in summer go directly into salads. Fall is for canning tomatoes and roasting squashes. Winter is for roasting and braising. Spring is for… well you just never know because the weather here is always a mixed bag.

Today is May 1st. It’s cold and rainy. Normally I’d be thinking of cooking an asparagus risotto, but today all I can think about is braising. My favorite cookbook for braising is All About Braising by Molly Stevens, and my favorite recipe from that cookbook is the Short Ribs Braised in Porter Ale with Maple-Rosemary Glaze.

I love making this for dinner parties because you can make it a day ahead which allows the flavors to magically evolve into unbelievable yuminess and it allows you to spend more time with your guests and less time in the kitchen. I have served this with potato gnocchi, sweet potato gnocchi, roasted beets, and spinach salad with candied pecans and goat cheese.

As with most recipes I’ve modified it a bit to my liking. My recipe is below but please consider buying All About Braising by Molly Stevens, it’s a real treat! Enjoy!

Guinness Braised Short Ribs with Maple Rosemary Glaze

(adapted from All About Braising by Molly Stevens)

Recommended to make one day ahead!

Serves 4 - 6 | Approximately 3 hours cooking & prep

4 lbs of bone-in short ribs

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil (extra if needed)

1 large yellow onion (rough mirepoix dice)

2 medium carrots (rough mirepoix dice)

1 ½ cups of Guinness

¾ cup of beef stock

4” rosemary sprig

2 large bay leaves

3 TBS of reserved fat from braising liquid

3 TBS of flour

The Glaze

4 TBS pure maple syrup

2, 4” rosemary sprigs

1. Preheat oven to 325℉

2. Prepare meat - trim the fat,pat dry with paper towel, season with salt and pepper

3. Sear till brown - Add oil to pan (4 - 6 qt Dutch oven like a Le Creuset) over med-high heat. When oil is hot add short ribs in single layer. Do not crowd. Adjust heat to medium if you feel they are cooking too fast. Goal is to sear till chestnut-brown in color on all. Do not cook the meat!

4. Transfer the short ribs to platter, repeat until all short ribs are seared.

5. Add onions and carrots. Season with salt and pepper and satué until the vegetables start to soften and brown.

6. Add liquid (also called the braising medium) - Add the Guinness and boil for 2 minutes. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the yummy caramelized drippings (referred to as fond.) Next add the stock. Bring back to a boil again then a simmer

7. Add meat back to pan along with any juices that collected on the platter. Add the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves between the ribs. Make sure ribs are partially submerge in the liquid. Add more Guinness or stock if necessary.

8. Cover with inverted foil lid then add the lid to your pan and place in oven which has been preheated to 325℉ oven. I peek under the lid after about 15 minutes to make sure the liquid is still at a simmer (if it’s boiling lower oven to 300℉) then I like to check the meat every 40 minutes by poking it with a fork. You know it’s done when the fork comes out with no resistance and the meat start to fall from the bone. This will take approximately 2 to 2½ hours.

9. Prepare the glaze while the ribs are cooking. Combine the maple syrup and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat till it boils. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for at least one hour.

10. Remove the ribs from the braising medium, carefully transferring them to a shallow baking dish. Using two forks separate the meat from the bone shredding it. Discard the bones.

11. Strain the braising liquid in a fine mesh strainer. I transfer the liquid to a gravy separator like this one. (This is one of my recommended essential culinary tools!)

12. Make your roux - spoon off approximately 3 tablespoons of fat from the braising liquid into a medium saucepan (If you make sauces often I recommend a saucier pan!) and over medium heat gradually whisk in the flour. Whisk for approximately 1 -2 minutes to help remove the flour taste.

13. Add the strained braising liquid - slowly add the liquid to the roux, stirring constantly with the whisk. Liquid should still be warm when added. This will make a smooth, velvety gravy. You know it’s done when it coats the back of the spoon. Taste throughout the process and correct seasoning by adding kosher salt or pepper as needed. Remove from heat when done.

14. Glaze the ribs - Turn the oven to the broil setting. Remove the rosemary sprigs from the glaze and using a silicone brush baste the ribs with the maple glaze. Put in oven for a couple of minutes until lightly browned and sizzling.

15. Remove from oven and pour gravy over the short ribs. Serve with gnocchi or pappardelle noodles, or store in fridge for up to one day and reheat, covered in foil, in oven at 300℉ for approximately 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook till bubbling for 10 minutes. ENJOY!