Beef Stew

What’s better than braised short ribs? Short rib stew with ale! Extra hearty and flavorful from the beef bones and nutty brown ale, this beef short rib recipe will stick to your ribs.

Ingredients:

4 slices thick-cut bacon

4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons hot paprika

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (12 ounce) bottle malty brown ale (we used Newcastle Brown Ale)

1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved

2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes

2 large carrots

1 pound turnips, optional

METHOD:

1.Preheat the oven:

Preheat oven to 300°F.

2.Cook the bacon:

Place bacon strips in a large (5 to 6 quart), thick-bottomed Dutch oven. Set the heat to medium and cook the bacon until much of the fat has been rendered. Remove bacon to a paper-towel lined plate.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from pot. (Do not pour down the drain or you will clog your drain when the fat hardens as it cools.)

3.Dredge the short ribs:

While the bacon is cooking, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, hot paprika, smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Dredge the short ribs in the flour mixture.

4.Brown the short ribs in the bacon fat:

Add the short ribs to the pot with the bacon fat, taking care to not crowd the pot (work in batches if necessary). Brown on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.

If you want to get good browning, do not move the short ribs except to turn them.

While the short ribs are browning, chop the bacon and set aside.

5.Cook the onions and garlic:

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the short ribs from the pot to a bowl. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

6.Add the ale and tomatoes:

Add the ale and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add tomatoes and their juices and reserved bacon. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil.

7.Cover and cook:

Return the short ribs to the pot, cover, put in the 300°F oven, and cook for 2 hours. (Alternatively, you can do the cooking on the stovetop, just lower the heat to the lowest setting and cover.)

8.Add the root vegetables:

Peel the potatoes, turnips (if using), and carrots, and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to the pot, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender and meat pulls away easily from the bone, about 30 to 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9.Remove the bones and excess fat before serving:

Spoon off the excess fat (it helps if you have a fat separator). If you want, remove the bones before serving and cut any big pieces of meat into smaller chunks.