Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs
Beer braised short ribs are the ultimate comfort food, with tender, pull-apart beef in a rich and flavorful sauce, served with buttery mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
For the Short Ribs:
- 3 lbs short ribs , bone-in or boneless (about 8 short ribs)
- Salt and pepper , as needed for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons butter , divided
- 1 large carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- ½ onion
- 4 oz mushrooms (I prefer to use cremini or baby bella)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 ½ cup beer (one 12-oz can, preferably lager or pilsner, see Notes)
- 1 cup beef broth , plus more as needed
- 1 sprig rosemary , chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 bay leaf
For the Mashed Potatoes:
- 2 lbs gold or yellow potatoes , peeled if desired and chopped in 1 inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup milk or cream
- ½ teaspoon salt , plus more for salting the water
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the short ribs:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place large oven-proof pot over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Season short ribs generously with salt and pepper and add to the pot.
- Cook short ribs until browned on at least 2 sides, which can take several minutes. Short ribs are ready to be flipped when they naturally release from the bottom of the pot. Transfer short ribs to a plate and set aside and drain off any excess fat from the pot.
- While short ribs are browning, chop the carrot, celery, onion, mushroom and garlic. Larger dice will yield a chunkier sauce, or finely dice (or use a food processor) for a thinner sauce.
- Add remaining tablespoon of butter and reduce temperature to medium-low. Add all veggies and cook until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, beer, beef broth, rosemary and bay leaf and stir until mixed with the vegetables. Add short ribs back to the pot and cover with lid or foil.
- Cook short ribs for 2 - 2½ hours until meat is tender enough to pull apart with fork and knife, but not so tender that it falls off the bone. Check on it a few times, if short ribs are ever more than halfway out of the liquid, add more beef broth.
To make the mashed potatoes:
- During the last 30 minutes of the short rib cook time, prepare the mashed potatoes.
- Add potatoes to a pot of cold water and season generously with salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
- Add butter and milk or cream to pot along with the drained potatoes and mash until smooth. Add salt and pepper and taste, adding more seasoning as needed.
- Serve short ribs over mashed potatoes.
Notes
- The best beef for this recipe: You can use boneless or bone-in beef short ribs (boneless will yield more meat, while bone-in will have better flavor). Short ribs can be expensive and hard to find, so you can also cut a 3lb beef chuck roast into 2-3 inch pieces.
- What can I use instead of beer? If you don't want to use beer, you can substitute with 1 cup red wine and increase beef broth to 1 1/2 cups. If you don't want to use alcohol, you add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and increase beef broth to 2 1/2 cups.
- Use a slow cooker instead: Sear and sauté everything as instructed, then assemble everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours and high for 3-4 hours.
Calories: 808kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 57g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Cholesterol: 195mg, Sodium: 1009mg, Potassium: 2254mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 3831IU, Vitamin C: 33mg, Calcium: 151mg, Iron: 14mg
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