Porter-Braised Beef Short Ribs

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Serves 4

Cooking Time 8 to 9 hours on Low or 5 to 6 hours on High

Slow Cooker Size 5½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Beer-braised short ribs are classic pub fare, but when they’re made in the slow cooker, the beer tends to turn bitter and the dish falls flat. To bring it back to life, we added some aromatics, including onions, garlic, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. This combination gave our sauce rich flavor and a velvety texture. To make sure that the beer flavor came through, we chose full-bodied porter and added part of the beer at the end of cooking so that its flavor wouldn’t be dulled by the long cooking time. A couple of tablespoons of instant tapioca helped to maintain a perfectly thick consistency. The well-marbled short ribs were fall-apart tender when they came out of the slow cooker, but we found that they shrank substantially as their fat rendered, so we started with large 10-ounce ribs to compensate. Look for boneless short ribs that are well marbled and measure about 2 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Serve over egg noodles or rice. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2	cups chopped onions
2	tablespoons minced garlic
2	tablespoons tomato paste
1	tablespoon vegetable oil
¾	cup porter beer, such as Guinness or Newcastle
2	tablespoons instant tapioca
2	teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4	(10-ounce) boneless beef short ribs
	Salt and pepper
2	tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1. Microwave onions, garlic, tomato paste, and oil in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in ½ cup beer, tapioca, and Worcestershire. Trim fat from top and bottom of short ribs, season with salt and pepper, and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 8 to 9 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high.

2. Transfer short ribs to serving dish and tent with aluminum foil. Strain braising liquid into fat separator, let sit for 5 minutes, then pour 1 cup defatted braising liquid into now-empty slow cooker; discard extra braising liquid. Stir in remaining ¼ cup beer and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over short ribs. Serve.