Nothing quite compares to meat that has been cooking for hours, and these Guinness Braised Short Ribs are no different. They’re fall-off-the-bone good!

Is anyone else still in holiday mode? My Christmas decorations still deck the halls in my house. Call me lazy, but I have no desire to take them down. I don’t particularly feel like looking at them anymore; I just don’t feel like taking them down, packing them back in their corresponding boxes, and making several trips to the attic to put them in their rightful place. It just seems like a lot of work. Eh, I’ll get to it sooner or later. Wanna know a secret? I have an aluminum pumpkin adorned in the flower garden out front and a Christmas wreath hanging on the front door.  My house looks a bit confused. I’m sure my neighbors are wondering what the heck is wrong with me. I ran out of time, people. Time just wasn’t on my side this holiday season and I wasn’t able to get it all together. Oh well, next year will be my chance at redemption.

This week the #SundaySupper team is tackling recipes on our bucket list. I have recipes saved, dog-earred, tagged, clipped, and pinned that I’ve been wanting to try for years; recipes that have been stored away and forgotten about. Today I get too cross one of them off of my very long list.

I’ve been wanting to try short ribs ever since I watched Giada De Laurentis make them on her show Every Day Italian. Fall of the bone, tender beef short ribs. Succulent, meaty beef in a reduced sauce swirling with layers of flavor; flavors so deep you get lost in their tangled love affair. These Guinness braised short ribs are just that. They melt in your mouth and the flavors are deep.

Surprisingly, these Guinness Braised Short Ribs are easy to make. They may take 3 hours to cook once you put the pot in the oven, but they’re extremely easy to prepare. While the ribs are cooking, you get to do whatever it is you like. I’m going to try to build up the energy to take down my Christmas tree.

I decided to braise my short ribs in Guinness beer because squirrel hates wine and refuses to eat anything cooked in it. I tried sneaking it into a dish once, but it didn’t go over well. The man has exceptional taste buds. The chocolatey Guinness beer created a luscious sauce rich in flavor.

Squirrel was extremely excited about these short ribs; so excited that he hovered by the oven while the short ribs were braising. Every time I opened the lid to turn the ribs he’d peek in, anxiously waiting for me to give him permission to taste.

I chose a dark beer for this dish, but you could easily trade it out for a lager or red wine; although, the sauce that the Guinness created was full-flavored and delicious.

I served the short ribs over egg noodles, but they’re also good over garlic mashed potatoes or a parsnip puree.

These ribs are fall of the bone tender. You don’t even need a knife; they just flake apart. You haven’t even heard the best part- they melt in your mouth!

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Guinness Braised Short Ribs

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 4 hours

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

  • 8 beef short ribs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 22 ounces Guinness
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can beef broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • Salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Season the ribs generously with kosher salt and pepper.
  3. Coat a large dutch oven with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Do not over-crowd the pan (I browned my short ribs in two batches).
  4. While the short ribs are browning, puree the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in a food processor until it resembles a coarse paste. When the short ribs are brown on each side, remove from the pan. Add the vegetable puree, crushed red pepper, and a generous pinch of salt. Brown for 4-6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and brown for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Guinness, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, water, generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper, and bay leaves. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the bits of flavor. Reduce by half, about 25-30 minutes.
  5. Add the short ribs back to the pan and add the rosemary sprig. Cover the pan and place in the oven for 3 hours. Turn the ribs twice during the cooking process, adding more beef broth or water if needed. Remove the lid during the last 30 minutes of the cooking to allow the meat and sauce to brown. Serve with the braising liquid.
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