Beer Braised Short Ribs

Beef is something that is not cooked as often in the winter time as it is in the summertime at our house. For in the Summer the grille is on almost every night and my husband knows how to cook a mean steak. When it comes to the Winter the grille is still in use and accessible but a juicy steak is not craved as much, since I don't consider steak comfort food, and in the winter that is what I crave the most ... comfort food.

A couple of months ago we went to a Beer Dinner at Summer Winter in Burlington, MA. we had never been to a beer dinner, wine dinners are so common, but a beer dinner seemed to really interest us. We went and the food was to die for. The first one was a Sam Adam's beer dinner and the last one we attended was an Allagash beer dinner. Beer dinners are a bit different from wine dinners in that not only is the beer paired with the food ... in most cases the beer is used in preparation of the food (Cherry Wheat vinegarette on my salad, and Cream Stout ice cream for dessert). Both of these dinners featured a Beer Braised short rib as the main course, and in both cases all that was left only our plates was the bone. I knew I had to find a way to make this, and I knew my Crock Pot was the secret component.

This is what I did ...

Beer Braised Short Ribs

1 -1 1/2lbs. of beef short ribs

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon if thyme

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup flour

1 bottle beer - Wheat Ale (or stout, or a beer with a bold loud flavor)

1 cup chicken or beef broth

Add dry ingredients to crock pot; beef, brown sugar, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, in slow cooker. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat meat.

Add wet ingredients; broth, soy sauce, and beer, pour over beef.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high for 4-5 hours). Cook until meat is fork tender. (I will advise to cook for 8-10 hours, slower and longer makes meat tender.)

Remove beef from sauce, and set aside. Ladle out two spoonfuls of the broth and put in a small sauce pan on medium low heat. In a cup mix 2 tablespoons of cold water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, add to the broth on the stove top. Whisk till thickens.

When serving put sauce over meat.

Yum!!!

PS ... sorry no picture, we ate it all before i could even take the camera out.