BEER-BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Beer-Braised Short Ribs image

I've yet to meet a man-Texan or otherwise-who can resist these meltingly tender short ribs. (Most women can't either, but they tend not to eat as many.) Serve them over a pile of creamy cornmeal mush and you'll have a party full of satisfied customers. At one gathering, I asked a group of guys how many ribs they thought they'd eat. The majority estimated that three would be plenty. They changed their tunes after taking a few bites and revised the number upward to four or five-and they kept their word. Short ribs come in varying sizes, so I figure about a pound per person, especially if my guest list includes a bunch of guys with big appetites.

Yield serves 8

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 pounds beef short ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices applewood-smoked bacon
3 cups coarsely chopped yellow onion
10 cloves crushed garlic
3 (12-ounce) bottles Shiner Bock or other dark beer
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
12 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 cup tawny port
6 cups whole milk, or more
2 cups fine-grained cornmeal or polenta
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add the olive oil. While the pot is heating, season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Brown the short ribs over medium-high heat in batches with ample room between them so they brown, not steam (if they start to burn, decrease the heat a little), 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pot and reserve on a plate.
In the same pot used to brown the ribs, sauté the bacon and onion over medium heat until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes; add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Stir in the beer, soy sauce, vinegar, and Worcestershire. Return the browned ribs to the pot, cover, and cook in the oven for 3 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the carrots and port. Cook until the meat is tender and just about falling off the bone, another 1 1/2 to 2 hours, for a total cooking time of 4 1/2 to 5 hours. After 4 hours of braising, stick a knife in the thickest rib; if the meat is still firm, continue cooking. Remove the pot from the oven; pour the liquid into a large glass measuring cup and let it sit until the fat rises to the top, about 15 minutes. Pour off the fat and return the liquid to the cooking pot.
TO MAKE THE CORNMEAL MUSH: Heat the milk until steaming in a large, heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking constantly. Turn the heat to low and continue whisking for 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture thickens. If it seems hard to whisk, thin with an additional 1/4 cup of milk. The cornmeal should be on the loose side. Whisk in the butter, salt, and Parmesan. Serve immediately topped with short ribs.
The short ribs can be made a day ahead, refrigerated, and reheated just before serving. The cornmeal can be made an hour or so before serving. Reheat over medium heat; add milk in 1/4-cup increments until the mixture is creamy and smooth.