Here at Foolproof Living, we love cooking meat in Dutch oven. If you are a fan as well, be sure to check out our Beef Eggplant Stew and Barefoot Contessa’s Pot Roast, too.
If you have never thought of making braised short ribs in beer, I can assure you that this recipe is going to change your life. That’s right, braised short ribs without wine. Dare I say, better? They are meaty, juicy, and tender, with incredible depth of flavor. What a great recipe to serve for St. Patrick’s Day, with some extra dark beer to wash it all down.
Ingredients
Beef short ribs braised in beer require fewer ingredients than you may think, all of which are probably already in your pantry or easy to find in grocery stores. Here’s a bit more detail about what we need:
- Seasonings: A simple yet flavorful mix of paprika, curry powder, cumin, Kosher salt, and black pepper provide ample flavor. If you are looking for an intense smoky kick, feel free to swap paprika with smoked paprika.
- Sugar: Adding a small amount of sugar not only helps intensify the rest of the spices but also ensures browning. You can use either dark brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Beef short ribs: Pick up a set of well-marbled beef short ribs with the bone-in at the butcher counter. You will need 8 pieces, which should be roughly 4-5 pounds.
- Olive oil: Use olive oil, or swap it out for avocado oil instead.
- Vegetables: Onions, carrots, and celery provide layers of flavor, aromatics, fiber, and color.
- Fresh garlic cloves: Use fresh garlic for the most punchy flavor.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh bay leaves (or dried) and sprigs of thyme give the beer-braised beef short ribs a special aromatic background. You also have the option to garnish with fresh parsley at the end.
- Stock: I love deeply rich beef stock, but you can use low-sodium chicken broth as well.
- Dark beer: Brown ale or porter provides a delicious, mild, sweet taste and special umami notes. My favorites are Newcastle Brown Ale, Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, and Sierra Nevada Porter. While we prefer brown ale for these beer-braised beef ribs, your favorite stout beer, such as Guinness, is a good option.
- Tomatoes: One full can of diced tomatoes, with all their juices, provides a great level of acidity. For an even richer flavor, you can add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste sauteed right alongside the garlic.
How to Make Beer Braised Beef Ribs?
This beef short ribs Dutch oven recipe takes an easier, hands-off approach thanks to the help of our trusty oven. No more standing over a hot stove with hot splatters of grease all over your kitchen. Here’s how I like to make these Dutch oven beef short ribs:
- Prep equipment: Arrange the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218°C). Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Mix dry seasoning: In a small bowl, mix the paprika, curry powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, and dark brown sugar.
- Prepare short ribs: Dry the entire surface of the short ribs, on all sides, with paper towels.
- Season: Evenly sprinkle the seasoning mixture on all sides of the beef short ribs.
- Roast short ribs: Place the seasoned short ribs onto the wire rack in a single layer. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the top of the ribs are just browned. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Lower the oven temperature to 350 °F (177 °C.)
- Saute vegetables: In a large Dutch oven (6-7 quart), heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic: Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, making sure to scrape any brown bits at the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon.
- Pour in liquids: Add the bay leaf, beef stock, beer, and diced tomatoes. Increase to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. This may take up to 15 minutes.
- Braise: As soon as the braising liquid comes to a boil, remove it from heat. Nestle in the short ribs, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, removing the lid during the last 30 minutes of braising time. After 2 hours, the meat should fall off the bone tender.
- Serve: Serve braised beef short ribs over rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta with a spoonful of the braising liquid and some of the vegetables. Enjoy!
How to Store and Freeze?
Dutch oven short ribs are an expensive cut of beef, so we want to ensure we are getting the most out of this additional cost. To ensure all your efforts do not go to waste, here are my best storage tips for this Dutch oven beef short ribs recipe:
- Storage: Cool completely, skim off any excess fat, then transfer the Dutch oven beef ribs to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Cool to room temperature, then store in a freezer-safe airtight container with some space at the top for expansion. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Reheat in a 325-degree F oven for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and warmed through. We want to reheat at a lower temperature to prevent overcooking the meat.
What to Serve with Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs?
These Dutch oven braised beef short ribs are a great way to feed a crowd. So whether you are serving this at your next dinner party or as an elegant weeknight dinner for two, there are so many serving options to choose from. Here are my favorite ways to serve them:
- Potatoes: Give it a classic touch with Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Air Fryer Red Potatoes for a full meal.
- Vegetables: Add some color with roasted, sauteed, or grilled vegetables on the side. A few of our favorites are Roasted Sweet Potato and Brussels sprouts, Asparagus and Mushroom Saute, and Buttery Garlic Green Beans.
- Pasta: Make it the ultimate comfort food and a hearty meal with Basic Egg Noodles, Butter Garlic Pasta, or Gigi Hadid’s Vodka Pasta.
- Bread: If you are serving this dish on St. Patrick’s Day, it would go wonderfully with Ina Garten’s Irish Soda Bread.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my expert tips for making the best braised beef short ribs recipe:
- When buying beef short ribs, make sure to purchase English-cut short ribs that are well-marbled with the rib bones intact. All that muscle, fat, tendon, and bone will give a lot of strong beefy flavor. I do not recommend boneless short ribs.
- Wire rack: Most short ribs recipes sear the short ribs before braising them in liquid. This recipe is different because we give the ribs a quick roast by baking them on a wire rack at a high temperature. Using a wire rack placed in a baking sheet (affiliate link) is important here because it helps circulate the air helping mimic the searing effect.
- Dutch oven: I used a 7-quart Dutch oven (affiliate link) for this recipe, which fit the ribs and liquid perfectly. I did test it in a 5 ½-quart Dutch oven (affiliate link) as well. The recipe still worked, but it was filled to the brim.
- Cook it low and slow: Braising the short ribs for an extended period in low heat extracts the collagen and allows the muscle fibers to slowly break down. This is the trick to fall off-the-bone meat. So, do not rush the process. Let the oven do most of the work. Trust me, your patience will be rewarded.
- Slow Cooker: Alternatively, you can cook ribs in a slow cooker after they are roasted in the oven. If you decide to do so, add sauteed veggies, all the liquid (including the beer), and the short ribs to the bowl of a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Skim the fat: After the short ribs are cooked, skim away some of the fat off the top of the sauce for a cleaner flavor. You can also do this once cooled after the fat solidifies at the top.
- Beer: Some sources say when making short ribs in a cast iron Dutch oven, using Stout beer (such as Guinness) may result in a bitter flavor. We tested this recipe with Guinness and didn’t think that it tasted bitter. However, overall we thought that the version made with brown ale had more complex flavors compared to stout braised short ribs.
FAQs
In general, it takes about 2 to 3 hours to cook 5 pounds of beef short ribs in a Dutch oven in the oven. The timing might slightly vary depending on the recipe you are using. It is advisable to keep a close eye on especially after the 2-hour mark.
As long as you stick to the low and slow cooking method, it’s very difficult to overcook Dutch oven short ribs. As soon as the meat falls off the bone, it’s ready.
Yes, you can make beer-braised beef ribs up to 2-3 days in advance. Beef short ribs in beer taste better the next day, and the longer they sit, the flavors have time to marry together.
Other Beef Recipes You Might Also Like:
If you are in need of more show-stopper beef dinners, be sure to check out our entire catalog of red meat recipes. Below are a few hand-picked favorites we think you might like:
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Beer Braised Short Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon paprika, or smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- 4-5 lbs bone-in beef short ribs, cut in 4-inches (about eight to nine pieces)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped – 1 ½ cups
- 4 medium carrots, chopped ~ 2 cups
- 4 celery stalks, chopped ~ 2 cups
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 cups beef broth, or chicken stock
- 1 bottle brown ale or porter, 12-ounce
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 28-ounce – with juices
Instructions
- Arrange the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218°C). Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and set it aside.
- Mix paprika, curry powder, ground cumin, salt, pepper, and dark brown sugar in a small bowl.
- Pat dry the bone in short ribs on all sides using a sheet of paper towel.
- Sprinkle them with the seasoning mixture on all sides.
- Transfer them onto the wire rack and transfer to the preheated oven. Roast for 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and set them aside while you are working on the rest of the ingredients.
- Decrease the oven temperature to 350 °F (177 °C.)
- Heat olive oil in a large (6-7 quart) Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Add the bay leaf, beef stock, beer, and diced tomatoes into the pot. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. This takes about 15 minutes.
- Off the heat, nestle the short ribs in the liquid. Cover it with a lid, transfer it to the oven, and cook for 2 hours, removing the lid in the last 30 minutes of cooking. At the end of the cooking time, the meat should be falling off the bone tender.
- Serve braised beef short ribs over rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta with a spoonful of the braising liquid and some of the vegetables.
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes 8 or 9 pieces of bone in beef short ribs depending on the size of your ribs. We think one rib is ideal per serving, so we listed it as 8 servings. The nutritional information below is per serving.
- This recipe is adapted from The Staub cookbook: Modern Recipes with Classic Cast Iron with minor changes to the original recipe.
- Beer: We recommend using a brown ale or porter for this recipe. Newcastle is our favorite but any brand you like to drink would work. You can make it with a stout as well, but we like the overall taste of brown ale braised ribs better.
- Dutch Oven: A large Dutch oven (7 qt) is ideal for this recipe. You can also use a 5 1/2 qt one as well but be aware that it will be filled to the rim. If you do not have a Dutch oven, a large casserole dish covered tightly with aluminum foil will work.
- Storage: Cool your ribs completely, skim off any excess fat, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Cool to room temperature, then store in a freezer-safe airtight container with some space at the top for expansion. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Reheat in a 325-degree F oven for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and warmed through. We want to reheat at a lower temperature to prevent overcooking the meat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
