These melt-in-your-mouth, Dutch oven beer-braised short ribs with Guinness are best served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. This is comfort food at its best!
Succulent and tender beer braised short ribs slowly cooked in the Dutch oven. This is an easy, foolproof way of cooking beef ribs with delicious results. Another bonus: you will only need one pan – the Dutch oven – to cook this short ribs recipe.
And if you like melty, sticky ribs full of rich flavor, learn How to Cook Beef Ribs in the Oven. Or try these Country-Style Pork Ribs in the Oven.
Recipe ingredients
- Beef short ribs: About 2 ½ lbs/ 1200 g of the meatiest bones you can get. They are usually sold cut into individual pieces; some are rectangular, some a bit square; it all depends on the thickness of the bone. If you can only buy a rack, cutting the individual pieces is easy. Use a large, sharp knife and cut between the bones.
- Seasoning: Fine sea salt, kosher salt, and black pepper for the ribs. Dried thyme, bay leaves, and balsamic vinegar for the sauce.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrots, celery stalks, and garlic.
- Braising liquid: Guinness beer or another stout beer or dark beer. And beef broth or chicken stock, ensure it is low in sodium (See Expert Tips).
- Other ingredients: Cooking oil (like canola oil) for searing the meat and some tomato paste for the sauce.
How to braise beef short ribs in beer?
- Dry the meat with paper towels and rub it with salt and pepper.
- Brown the ribs in the heated oil in a large Dutch oven for a total of 6-7 minutes or until brown on all sides (1). Remove them from the pot.
- While the ribs are browning, chop the vegetables and mince the garlic.
- Sauté the onion on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then add the carrots and celery and cook for another 3-4 minutes (2). Add garlic and tomato paste and stir shortly.
- Simmer: Return the bone-in ribs to the pot and arrange them in a single layer. Add Guinness, stock, thyme, and bay leaves (3). Simmer, covered, on low heat for 2 ½ hours until the beef ribs are very tender (4).
- Make the sauce: You can leave the sauce as it is or strain it and reduce it slightly on the stovetop. If you like, remove some of the excess fat on top of the sauce using a large, flatter spoon.
- Adjust the taste of the beer-braised beef with a little bit of balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper, and return the ribs to the pot.
Other cooking options
- Oven: Brown the meat and cook the vegetables on the stovetop as instructed. Place a tight-fitting lid on the Dutch oven and transfer the pot to the preheated oven. Cook at low oven temperature (320°F/ 160°C) for 3 ½ hours or until the meat is tender. Turn the tender meat into the sauce, and cook it for another 20-30 minutes without the lid to allow the sauce to reduce slightly.
- Slow cooker or crock pot: Brown the beef on the stovetop. Remove it from the pan and sauté the vegetables and tomato paste as instructed in the recipe. Transfer the veggies to the slow cooker and place the meat on top. Add the liquids and herbs and slow-cook the beef ribs for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Check that the meat is super tender; otherwise, allow it a bit more time.
Expert Tips
- The meat will shrink a bit during cooking.
- Stock: It’s preferable to use homemade or low-sodium stock. Regular stock is generally too salty to be used when braising meat or cooking stews. The liquid will reduce during the long cooking time, concentrating the saltiness. The end dish will probably be too salty if you start with a salty stock.
Recipe FAQ
Sure, the dish tastes even better the next day; I always cook it a day before I want to serve it. Let the food come to room temperature and refrigerate it covered. Reheat before serving.
Beef short ribs must be cooked for a long time and at a low temperature. High temperatures will cook them fast, but they will not have enough time to get tender. The slow cooking process breaks down the connective tissues, making the meat incredibly juicy and tender.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat well before serving.
How to serve braised ribs?
Serve the beer braised short ribs with mashed potatoes, for instance, these Truffled Mashed Potatoes or Roasted Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. We also love them on creamy polenta, Spätzle or pasta, or white rice.
Make some Simple Roasted Whole Carrots, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, German Red Cabbage, or Green Peas with Butter on the side.
A fresh green salad with Yogurt Dressing or vinaigrette, White Cabbage Salad, or Coleslaw is also great.
More easy recipes for St. Patrick’s Day
Beer Braised Short Ribs
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs beef short ribs 1200 g
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion 150 g/ 5.5 oz, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot 100 g/ 3.5 oz, finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bottle Guinness 330 ml, Note 1
- 1 ¼ cups beef or chicken stock low sodium 300 ml Note 2
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar more to taste
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Beef short ribs:
- Dry the ribs with paper towels. Rub them with salt and pepper.2.5 lbs/ 1200 g beef short ribs + 1 tsp fine sea salt + ½ tsp black pepper
- Brown ribs: Heat the oil in the Dutch oven. Brown the ribs on high heat for a total of 6-7 minutes or until they are nicely browned on all sides. Flip them using tongs and remove them from the pot once they are seared.
Beer gravy:
- Chop vegetables: While the ribs are browning, chop the vegetables and mince the garlic.1 medium onion + 1 medium carrot + 2 celery ribs + 2 garlic cloves
- Sauté vegetables: Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onions for 2 minutes or until slightly translucent. Add carrots and celery and cook for 4 minutes or until the carrots are softer. Add minced garlic and tomato paste and stir for another 1-2 minutes.1 Tbsp tomato paste
- Simmer: Return the beef to the pot. Pour in the Guinness and stock, and add the thyme and bay leaves. Cover the pot and simmer the ribs on low heat for 2 ½ hours until they are super tender.1 bottle Guinness 330 ml + 1 ¼/ 300 ml cups stock + 1 tsp thyme + 2 bay leaves
- Sauce: You can leave the sauce as it is or strain it. To strain it, first remove the ribs. Next, strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Discard the vegetables and return the sauce to the pot. If it’s too thin, bring it to a boil and simmer it shortly to reduce it slightly.
- Adjust the taste with balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. More salt might not be necessary; it depends on the salt content of your stock. Return the beef ribs to the Dutch oven, spoon some sauce over them, and serve.1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Notes
- Beer: You can use another stout/ dark beer if you like.
- Stock: It’s preferable to use low-sodium beef or chicken stock. The liquid will reduce during cooking, and if the stock is too salty, the results will be too salty.