Honey-and-Beer-Braised Short Ribs with Root Vegetables (from Fire + Ice, by Darra Goldstein)
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 lbs bone-in beef short ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces (I only used 3 lbs)
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 large head garlic
- 3 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 large sprigs parsley and 2 Tbsp minced parsley
- 1/2 honey
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle wheat ale (I used Schlafly Hefeweizen Ale)
Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a 6-quart braising pan (I used my cast iron dutch oven with lid) over medium heat. Rub the short ribs all over with kosher salt and pepper. Place them in the pan and sear until brown, about 2 minutes per side. With tongs, transfer the short ribs to a plate and pour off all of the fat from the pan.
Remove the outer papery skin from the head garlic and cut about 1/2 inch off the top to reveal the cloves.
Return short ribs to the pan and nestle the head of garlic, cut side up, among them. Strew the onions and carrots among the meat and stick the thyme and parsley sprigs into any nooks.
Whisk together the beer and honey in a bowl, then pour over meat and veggies (it won’t cover them). Cover the pan tightly and bake for 2 hours.
Raise the temperature to 400 and continue to bake the meat until it is very tender and the liquid has turned slightly syrupy, about 45 minutes more.
Blot or skim off as much fat as you can* and serve hot with a garnish of minced parsley.
*Since short ribs are so fatty, you can make this dish a day ahead, then refrigerate overnight. The next day you can easily remove the fat that has risen to the surface and reheat the stew gently at 300 for an hour.
