Beef Short Ribs braised in BBQ Sauce

We are fans of the short rib around here, its the perfect slow simmer on the stove on a cold day. Or in a crock pot.  Or in the oven, you chose the results are the same.  Yummy.

The theme of this post is really caramelization.  That process of bringing out the natural sugars through searing beef or sauteing onions.  I've heard it a few times on TV, not sure who the chef is, "Color equals Flavor" and they aren't kidding.  With this recipe, actually most recipes, the more color you bring with searing and sauteing the better the depth of flavor as the natural sugars are used to their best advantage.

Take the time to get a good sear on the beef.  Take your time to bring out the sugars in the onion.  You won't be disappointed with the results.  That brown stuff at the bottom of the pan...its called "fond" and it is a ton of flavor that will work its way into the braising liquid when you deglaze the pan.  Your clear amber liquid suddenly becomes dark brown from the fond and very rich in flavor.  Trust me, all that time you put into the sear and saute will not be wasted when you deglaze it all comes to life.

Braising is my favorite way to cook tough cuts like a beef short rib. You use just enough liquid to come to the top of the meat and let it simmer away for a few hours.  You end up with a succulent, melt in your mouth, fork tender piece of meat.

The pan you use for braising needs to be a heavy pan that will spread the heat evenly for a long period of time.  I use a Le Creuset Doufeu but any heavy no reactive pan with a tight fitting lid will work.  The point is that you want even heating with all the steam retained so it doesn't evaporate away all your braising liquid.

Beef Short Ribs braised in BBQ Sauce

• 2-3 lbs boneless beef short ribs
• 2T Montreal steak seasoning
• Olive oil.
• 2 large onions rough chopped
• 1 t salt
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2 cans beer - I used Millers MGD
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T Sriracha
• 2T red wine vinegar
• 1 T liquid smoke

Coat all side of beef short ribs with Montreal In large braising pan heat a couple of tablespoons olive oil until it starts to shimmer. You will need to sear short ribs in a few batches to get good color on them.  Add a few short ribs to the hot pan.  Cook about 5-7 minutes on each side until you get a good dark sear on them.  Remove to a platter and sear off the remainder of the short ribs.

Add a bit more oil to the pan if needed to saute the onions. Add onions and salt.  Cook them stirring often until translucent and the edges are starting to brown, about 8-10 minutes.

Pour in beer.  Using spoon scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, Sriracha, vinegar and liquid smoke.  Taste for seasoning, add ,more salt if needed.  Return the seared short ribs to the broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover tightly with lid and simmer 2 1/2 - 3 hours.  

If using an oven set temp to 300f and place your covered pot in the oven for the same amount of time.

If you decide to use a crock pot, pour in the braising liquid, add the beef, cover and use low for 6-8 hours.

Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs

Meat eaters have their place in the food chain too. I love my red meat in moderation. The other morning when asked what to make for dinner that night the overwhelming response was meat. So I grabbed a pack of boneless short ribs I had in the freezer and proceeded to thaw for use that night.

Beer Braised Short Ribs is stupid easy with barely a hand full of ingredients and a couple of easy steps to get dinner going. Braising is the secret to getting an inexpensive and tough cut of beef "fork tender"by cooking it long, low and slow. The added bonus is when you braise is that there is enough liquid that stirring and scorching isn't much of a concern so its low maintenance once its in the oven.

Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs

4-5 lbs boneless beef short ribs

1 bottle beer

1 can beef broth

3 bay leaves.

1 c flour

4T Montreal Steak Seasoning blend

4 strips bacon.

1 large onion

2 medium carrots sliced

2 T garlic minced (or less to taste)

EVOO

In large dutch oven of similar cooking pot add just enough EVOO to cover the bottom of the pan and add the bacon strips. Cook until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.

Mix flour and steak seasoning blend. Increase heat in dutch oven to medium-high. Dredge short ribs in flour and add to hot pan. Sear all sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Cook in batches so you do not crowd pan.

When short ribs are all browned let them rest on a platter and add onions and carrots to the pan. Stir constantly and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When onions are translucent and starting to caramelize add garlic and cook 1 minute longer, stir constantly so as to not burn the garlic. Add bottle of beer and scrape up all remaining bits from bottom of pan.

Arrange short ribs over the browned vegies. Wedge bay leaves in between the short ribs. Add enough beef broth to bring the liquid to just below the top of the meat. (See photo).

Cover and bake in 325F oven for 2 hours. Serve hot with mashed potato or similar on the side using the braising liquid as a "gravy".

The liquid in a braise should just come to the top of the meat. Covering the meat with the liquid would be stewing and yields a similar but not the same result as a braise.
Cooking the short ribs in batches ensures a good sear to the meat. Overcrowding a pan winds up "steaming" the meat in its own juices and does not yield good color. To quote Tyler Florence, "color is flavor and you don't want to lose it".

Drunken Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I got the idea for this one from, you guessed, a few different sources. One was some new cooking show on FoodTV and the other from the Top Chef series. Pulled Pork was a big deal back in MO growing up and the appearance of it on TV made me suddenly crave the stuff. So when the boys said it looked good and wanted me to make them some I was all over that project.

The key is a long braise to make a cheap cut of meat fork tender to pull apart. The pork barely cost me 8 bucks and I only used about half of it for the 4 of us for dinner tonight. A pretty frugal meal too it turns out.

Drunken Pulled Pork

• 3.5 lbs pork shoulder
• 1 T smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper
• evoo
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 large carrot sliced
• 1/2 c chopped celery
• 2 T dry BBQ Rub
• 1/4 c Worcestershire
• 1 bottle beer
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can beef broth

Cut pork shoulder into 3 inch cubes. Season well with salt and pepper. Coat well with smoked paprika. Brown over medium high heat until all sides have a good sear. Remove from pan and reserve.

Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook until onion becomes translucent and begins to brown. Add BBQ Rub and stir well. Add liquids. Return meat to the pan, include any drippings that accumulated while resting. Bring to boil then cover.

Simmer in 325F oven for 2 hours or until fork tender. When done remove pieces of pork from the braising liquid and shred with a fork for making sandwiches or eating as is.

The difference between braising and stewing is pretty nominal. A braise doesn't have the meat covered completely, rather it goes up about 3/4 to the top of your meat. In this case you add enough of the beef broth to get yourself to the right depth without submerging the meat!