Tasty, fall off the bone Beer Braised Short Ribs are easier than you might expect, and they are so good! If you’re looking for a tasty main dish that will work well with a number of side dishes, these easy short ribs are your answer. This recipe is full of flavor and once you try them, they will be at the top of your comfort food list for sure!
Beer Braised Short Ribs
How do I love short ribs, let me count the ways. Meaty, tender, beefy, savory, and glorious. While I do indeed cook with a lot of fresh produce on this blog, it is important to also have homemade and from scratch main dishes and entrees to round things out, along with recipes for locally grown and /or sourced meat, and that is what this dish is for.
For no particular reason, when I was young and first learning to cook I was intimidated by the thought of cooking short ribs. They are a bit spendy (even when they are on sale) and I guess deep down I was afraid of ruining expensive meat. Over time, I grew more confident and decided to give them a try.
Why oh why did I wait so long to make them? I have made short ribs many times prior to developing this recipe for the blog, but my goodness I would have tried them sooner if only I knew what I was missing. Short ribs braised in beer are probably my favorite.
If you haven’t cooked or eaten beef short ribs, this is a train you need to jump on! These produce some of the most tender meat I have ever had. They are also easier to cook than you might think.
What Are Short Ribs?
Short ribs are a cut of beef that can come from the brisket, plate, rib, or chuck portion of a cow. There are two types of short ribs: Flanken Style and English Style. The English Style is what I used for this recipe, and they are the most common type you will find at your local grocer or butcher.
The English style of short rib is meatier than the Flanken variety, and has a short rib encased in meat (hence the name short rib). These have quite a bit more meat on them than the ribs many of us enjoy grilling in the Summertime.
These ribs have a lot of marbling (streaks of fat found in meat) as well as collagen. What is collagen? It is a connective tissue protein that is a contributing factor in meat tenderness and texture. Thanks to the marbling and collagen, short ribs are perfect for braising because the braising process allows the fat and collagen to tenderize the meat.
The Star Ingredients In Beer Braised Short Ribs
You’ll need a few basic ingredients for this recipe. Aside from the short ribs, you will need aromatics. What are aromatics? Those are vegetables that are used to impart flavor in a dish. In this case, we are using shallot, celery, and carrots.
Short Ribs- Your local grocery store should have these and if you don’t see any, ask someone behind the counter. I love using short ribs from local cattle farms when possible. If you can use locally sourced meat in a recipe like this, do it! If you can’t, its fine to use what you find at your local grocery store butcher counter.
Beef Stock- This is an important part of the braising liquid. I have tested these with both low sodium and regular beef stock, and saw no difference in the flavor. Or, you can make your own!
Beer- These wouldn’t be beer braised without beer, right?
Fire Roasted Tomatoes- I used canned (recipes like this are one of those moments that I use a canned product). Fire roasted just have a bit more flavor so I prefer to use those here. If you can your own tomatoes, use those!
Shallot- I love shallots, with their mild flavor they add what they need to while blending in and not taking over.
Carrot and Celery- Don’t skip them! They add loads of flavor.
Bay Leaf- You can use fresh or dried.
Fresh Thyme- No need to pull the leaves off the stems. You can put the whole thing into your braising liquid and pull the stems out later.
Dried Parsley- I have found that dried parsley stands up better to more lengthy cooking times than fresh. If you want more parsley, you can certainly sprinkle these with some chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Salt and Pepper- It goes without saying that you’ll need these!
Oil- For browning the short ribs.
What Is The Best Beer For Braising Short Ribs?
I love to use a brown ale or amber here. If you like your short ribs hoppy, you could try an IPA. Want a richer flavor? Try Stout or Porter.
Whatever you choose, make sure it is not a lighter beer like a blonde or a pilsner. You want something that will stand up to the beef and give you some flavor in the braising liquid. In my opinion, lighter beers just won’t do that.
What Is Braising?
Braising is a method of cooking that begins with pan searing meat and following that by cooking it slowly in a liquid in a slow cooker or a Dutch Oven until the meat becomes tender. Vegetables, verbs, and garlic are often added to enhance the flavor of the braising liquid.
When meat is braised successfully, it is transformed into something tender and flavorful.
How To Cook Short Ribs
How do you prepare beef short ribs? I am going to show you, and it is pretty easy!
- Brown the short ribs.
- Remove the short ribs from the pot to a plate.
- Add the vegetables and herbs to the pot and saute.
- Add salt and pepper, and the fire roasted tomatoes.
- Place the short ribs back in the pot.
- Next, add the beef stock and beer.
- Cover the Dutch oven and braise in the oven for about 2 and a half hours.
For more detailed instructions and cooking tips, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
What To Serve With Beer Braised Short Ribs
I love these with all sorts of dishes, as they pair well with so many things! Beer braised short ribs are wonderful with a variety of vegetable sides, such as air fryer delicata squash, roasted green beans and carrots, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, pumpkin risotto, roasted rainbow carrots, green bean and chanterelle mushroom casserole, or pear and parmesan salad.
They are also wonderful served over buttered egg noodles or with a crusty loaf of bread.
These are great with a number of desserts, including dark chocolate orange cheesecake, no bake pumpkin cheesecake bars, dark chocolate goat cheese brownies, or white chocolate chai brownies.
Recipe Variations
You can season these other ways, you are not limited to what is in the recipe. If you want them spicier, try using ancho or chipotle chili powder, cumin, sauteed jalapeno, or cayenne pepper.
Other herbs such as rosemary, marjoram, or oregano would be nice also.
Want an Asian inspired twist? Try ginger, garlic, scallions, and soy sauce. There are many possibilities here!
How To Store Leftover Short Ribs
Storing short ribs is pretty easy. All you need is a plastic container or bowl with a tight fitting lid. I like to take the meat off the bones prior to storing it.
The short rib meat will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator.
To reheat, you can microwave it briefly if you are using it for tacos or sandwiches, or is you are using it in marinara or soup, just stir the meat right in and it will reheat that way.
How To Use Leftover Short Ribs
I love how versatile these are, and I think you will too! Here are some suggestions for your leftovers (if you have any, these are pretty good and it may be hard not to eat them all).
- Taco filling
- Add to vegetable soup
- Stir into marinara sauce
- Use in Stroganoff
- Sandwiches
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
- Filling for enchiladas
This meat has so many great uses, it is almost worth it to make a large batch just for having the leftovers!
If you are reading this, thank you for visiting The Copper Table. I certainly hope you love these beer braised short ribs! If you tried this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Just leave a rating or comment below. You can also share this recipe on social media!
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Yield: 4 Servings
Beer Braised Short Ribs
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Beer Braised Short ribs are tender, flavorful, and easy to cook! They are wonderful for a Holiday meal and dinner parties. The leftovers are quite versatile, and these short ribs can be seasoned a number of different ways!
Ingredients
For the Short Ribs
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds of English Style Short ribs
- 1 tsp of Salt
- 1/2 tsp of Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Olive or Avocado oil
For the Vegetables and Braising Liquid
- 1 large Shallot, chopped
- 1 medium Carrot, sliced
- 1 stalk of Celery, sliced
- 1 cup of canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 large bunch of fresh Thyme
- 1 Tbsp of dried Parsley
- 1 /4 tsp of Salt
- 1/4 tsp of Black Pepper
- 1 cup of Beef Stock
- 2 Cups of Beer (brown or amber ale)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Start by browning the short ribs. Season the short ribs on all sides with 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper.
- Heat the 2 Tbsp of oil n a large Dutch Oven on medium high heat. Add the short ribs to the pot, and brown on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Once the short ribs are browned, remove them from the pot and transfer to a plate.
- While the short ribs brown, slice the 1 medium carrot and 1 stalk of celery and chop the 1 large shallot.
- Once the short ribs are out of the pot, add the carrt, celery, and shallot to the pot and saute for about 5 minutes, until the shallots are translucent and vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the bunch of fresh thyme, the bay leaf, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, the 1 Tbsp of dried parsley and the 1 cup of canned tomatoes and stir.
- Cook another 3 minutes to let the veggies continue to soften.
- Add the short ribs back to the pot, and place them on top of the vegetables.
- Pour the 1 cup of beef stock and 2 cups of beer over the short ribs.
- Put the lid on the Dutch oven and place in the oven on the center rack.
- Cook for 2 ½ hours. At 2 and a half hours, remove the Dutch oven and take the lid off. You will know your short ribs are done because the meat will be falling off the bones. Serve with your favorite sides and use the braising liquid and veggies as a sauce.
Notes
There are a number of different ways to season these! Try chili powder and cumin, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, or bail and oregano.
Brown or amber ale is recommended for this recipe, but you can also use red ale or porter.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 466Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 700mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 32g
All information presented and written within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietitian and any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline. Statements within this site have not been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.Nutritional information is provided for recipes contained on this site. This information comes from online calculators. Although The Copper Table attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
