Farmers' Market Friday - Fall is in the Air {Beer-braised Beef Short Ribs & Garlic Mashed Potatoes}

For a while now (perhaps the past 2 years or so), I've been noticing that beef short ribs are all over the place in cooking magazines and cookbooks. I've been wanting to give them a whirl and the promise of a cool front coming was just the incentive to make it happen. 

Not being well-versed in beef short ribs, (or beef ribs, in general - our family has always been more about the pork ribs than the beef) I decided to do a little research on the cut and how it is generally prepared. According to that research, beef short ribs are cut from the rib and plate primals. Typically, you'll find them in rib strips that are about 8-9 in by 3in and vary from 3-5 in thick. Being ribs, they include about 4 flat bones. These can be cut apart to make individual rib pieces which makes for easier browning, cooking, and serving.They are meatier than their pork counterparts and have a good balance of meat and fat. 

While there are many ways to prepare these short ribs - many cultures grill them - it is that combination of meat and fat (and connective tissues) that make this cut of meat perfect for braising. Braising is a combination of cooking methods that uses both dry and moist heat and relies on three variables, time, heat, and moisture, to break down the collagen in the cut of meat to produce a tender, succulent, fall-off-the-bone deliciousness. Many classic peasant dishes (eg. coq au vin) use slow braising to tenderize a tough, less palatable (and typically, less expensive) meat into something amazing. You might think this sounds complicated but really, if you're a fan of the slow cooker, it is likely that you've employed the technique of braising in your cookery.

After reviewing a passel of recipes for braised short ribs, I had the general gist of the method and set out to make (what I would hope to be) a rave worthy dinner.

Ingredients from the market:

Beef short ribs from Mike Kelley Ranch

Onions

Tomato

Olive Oil

Beer-Braised Beef Short Ribs

• 2 lbs beef short ribs, cut into 1-rib pieces
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, sliced into 1/2"thick slices
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tomato, cored and chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 bottle of dark beer of your choice
• 1 C beef stock
• 1 1/2 C white mushrooms, quartered
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced 
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour (all purpose)

1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Generously season the rib pieces with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over high heat. Brown ribs in batches (you want a nice brown crispness. If you over load the pot, they will steam instead of browning nicely). Transfer browned ribs to a rimmed pan or dish.
3. To the hot oil and drippings, add onion, garlic, carrot, celery and tomato. Cook until slightly browned (about 4 minutes or so). Add bay leaf, beef stock and beer. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add ribs back to the Dutch oven (along with any juices that are in the pan or dish.)Once the pot has returned to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender (test with a fork) and about to fall off the bone.(2 1/2 to 3 hours).
4. Once ribs are fall off the bone tender, remove ribs from braising liquid and place in an oven proof dish/pan. Cover and return to a 200F oven to keep warm while you complete the sauce. Using a ladle skim excess fat off of the sauce and then bring the mixture to a simmer; reduce the liquid by 1/4th or so.
5. In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously to create a quick roux (thickener for the sauce). Whisk roux into the reduced sauce and simmer on low for about 5 minutes or so to thicken up the sauce.
6. In a large saute pan, heat remaining olive oil. Add mushroom and green onions and saute until mushrooms brown a bit (about 5 minutes). Add mushrooms and onion mixture to the braising liquid. Place warm ribs back into the braising sauce over low heat until ready to plate.

A dish like this requires a good, hearty foundation - for me, that foundation is garlic mashed potatoes! We usually only have these on Thanksgiving & Christmas for some unknown reason. So, I knew it would be a big treat for the family to find these on the menu.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• 2 lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 C heavy cream
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 tsp salt

1. In a large saucepan, place potatoes and garlic and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and keep a slow boil to cook potatoes until fork-tender (about 20 minutes).
2. Once potatoes are cooked, drain in a colander and shake to remove as much water as possible. If you have a potato ricer, pass potatoes through it and back into the sauce pan.. Melt butter. Add cream and melted butter to the riced potatoes and then stir to mix well with a large spoon or spatula. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste. (If you do not have a ricer, add 1/2 the liquid and mix with an electric hand-mixer until smooth. Add rest of liquid and continue to mix until liquid is completely incorporated.)

Putting it all together - 

To serve, dish a generous serving of potatoes into the center of individual plate or large bowl. Top with 2-3 rib pieces and then with a ladle of the thickened braising sauce and vegetables. Serve and enjoy!

My! Oh my! This dish is everything you'd want to welcome fall. Warm, comforting, mashed potatoes topped with fall-off-the-bone, tender meat. The meat itself was fantastically flavored and just soaked up the braising liquid in that long slow cooking. Top that off with the richness and vegetable sweetness of the sauce - enhanced with the mushrooms and onions and you've got quite an impressive meal that (aside from the browning & sauce making) happens in the 3 hours in the oven. The family definitely approved. The funny thing is that while I was cooking this dish, I kept having a feeling of deja vu...a feeling like this is something I've done before, when I surely had not. Upon looking at this dish and getting one whiff, my sweet daughter, T, said, "Is this beef bourguignon?!" *That* was it - so similar in method and ingredients, these beer-braised beef ribs are the Texas cousin to that Fraunchy dish! I highly recommend you give this a try - head out to the market and grab some of those short ribs - it will make for a great "hello fall" meal.

Happy Cooking!

sld

Disclosure: I was invited by Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market to visit and meet the vendors and was provided Market Money with which to purchase ingredients for use in the Farmers' Market Friday posts.  I was not compensated to write this article and all opinions are my own.

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