Beer Braised Short Ribs

Ah, Beer Braised Short Ribs. Don't those four words just conjure up images of deep, rich, reduced beer, tenderizing tough fatty chuck short ribs. Add a mermaid to serve that to me and you've got my Beer Heaven. At Lacroix, they braise shortribs in Guinness and veal stock, and that was my inspiration for trying my own, beer braised short ribs.

I picked up some bone-in chuck short ribs from whole foods and went to work immediately. I first trimmed them of excess fat, then seared those suckers off in a flaming hot cast-iron pan.

I then removed them from the pan, and added some carrots and celery, caramelizing those veggies before deglazing with red wine. I let the wine reduce to oblivion, and believe me, in that hot pan, the wine evaporated quicker than my guilt of forgoing my summer reading.I then returned the short ribs to the pan and added equal parts Heineken and Beef Stock to cover about 3/4 the ribs. All this went into a 350 degree oven for about 2.5 hours.The rib-tastic result? Incredible. Beer Heaven worthy? Undoubtedly. The ribs were literally falling off the bone, and incredibly tender and flavorful. I'm really into braising now. Look for more dishes of the like in the future.