Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs and Colcannon are long on flavor and ease with hearty, delicious Irish-inspired slowly-simmered fall-off-the-bone comfort food goodness!
The inspiration behind this recipe:
My first encounter with Guinness (aka stout) beer didn’t involve much love. My husband used to travel extensively throughout Europe for his job. I was the fortunate recipient of his work assignment in that I got to travel to places I had longed to travel to….like Ireland. Ireland is every-scenic-postcard, every cable-television-documentary gorgeous you’ve ever imagined and some of the friendliest, most wonderful people on the planet.
One of the things we did on our trip was to tour the Guinness plant in Dublin. At the end of the tour, we were all treated to a bottle of Guinness stout beer. Both my husband and I agreed that it must be an “acquired” taste.
But oh, it pairs beautifully with beef!
What is stout beer?
Most stout beers are very dark–almost black–in color with a deep, rich flavor. There are numerous varieties and brands and it’s origin dates back to 1677. However, when people think of stout, they probably think of Guinness.
This deep, rich flavor of stout pairs particularly well with beef, especially slowly-braised beef dishes like beef short ribs.
How many short ribs do you need per person?
Before cooking, it’s difficult to know the amount of meat that will remain after being braised and after the connective tissue breaks down. One long-cut rib per person may suffice if meaty and it often will. However, to be on the safe side, I cook a few extra. Six good-sized short ribs should feed four people easily.
How to make Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs:
- Trim the excess fat from the top of the rib as shown above. You don’t want to trim it off the bone end because after braising, the bone is sure to fall off. Leaving the bone on makes for a nice presentation and gives the diner a “handle” to hold the rib and easily shred the meat using a fork with the other.
- Gather and prep all the remaining ingredients:
- Canola oil
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme
- All-purpose flour
- Tomato paste
- Stout beer
- Beef broth
- Salt and black pepper
- Parsley for garnish (optional)
- Season the ribs with salt and black pepper and brown those bad boys!
- Transfer the ribs to a plate and discard the oil as it will be scorched after the high-heat browning.
- Refresh the oil and cook the onion, celery and carrot until nice and melty soft and then add the garlic.
- Add the flour and cook for approximately 1 minute then add the tomato paste and cook briefly.
- Add the stout beer and bring to a boil.
- Add the beef broth and fresh thyme and return the short ribs to the Dutch oven.
- Bring that up to a simmer, cover securely then place in a preheated oven and braise for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and skim as much fat as possible from the top.
At this point, you can make the ribs ahead of time. Let cool then refrigerate overnight.
How to remove fat from cooking short ribs:
After the ribs are cooked and falling-off-the-bone tender, there’s always a significant amount of fat on top of the braising liquid. To remove it:
- Carefully tilt the pot to one side. Skim the fat with a large spoon, saving as much of the braising liquid as possible. Another option is to use a gravy separator.
- If you can, braise the ribs a day ahead of time, cool and refrigerate overnight. Before reheating, skim the hardened fat from the top. Don’t worry about sacrificing any quality–most meaty braised dishes such as this often taste better the next day.
Pair the stout braised beef short ribs with colcannon, a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale. Other ingredients in colcannon may include scallion, leeks, ham or bacon, but ALWAYS plenty of butter, milk or cream. The garlic in this recipe is not traditional, but we love garlic mashed potatoes so it seemed right to add it. It’s delish!
How to make Colcannon:
All you need is:
- Potatoes
- Cabbage
- Scallions
- Garlic
- Butter
- Milk, half-and-half or cream
- Salt and black pepper
- Boil the potatoes in salted water.
- Cook the cabbage in butter.
- Add the scallions and garlic the season with salt and pepper.
- Mash the potatoes and add butter and milk, half-and-half or heavy cream.
- Stir in the cabbage and season to taste. Done and delish!
Then combine the Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs and Colcannon for hearty, delicious Irish-inspired slowly-simmered fall-off-the-bone comfort food goodness!
And to you, dear reader, this Irish prayer for you:
May there always be work for your hands to do,
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane,
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
More beef short rib recipes to savor!
- Slow Cooker Boneless Beef Short Ribs Bourguignon
- Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs Barbacoa with Cilantro – Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Cabernet Braised Beef Short Ribs with Cauliflower – Leek Puree
- Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs
- Mississippi-Style Boneless Short Ribs
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Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs and Colcannon
Stout Braised Beef Short Ribs and Colcannon are long on flavor and ease with hearty, delicious Irish-inspired slowly-simmered fall-off-the-bone comfort food goodness!
Ingredients
- RIBS
- 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 4 pounds beef short ribs (6 long-cut ribs), trimmed of excess fat
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 large carrots. peeled and chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can (14.9-ounce) stout beer, such as Guinness
- 3 cups beef broth
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
- COLCANNON
- 3 pounds Russet potatoes (6-7 large), peeled and cubed
- Salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 1 bunch scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
- 2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups milk, half-and-half or heavy cream, warmed
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- RIBS: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pat ribs dry with a paper towel, then season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Heat half the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Working in batches if necessary, sear the ribs well on all sides then transfer to a plate.
- Remove the scorched oil from the Dutch oven and replace it with the rest of the fresh oil being careful to not remove any fond. Return the Dutch oven to medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, celery and carrot, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook briefly--about 15 seconds.
- Add the flour and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the tomato paste and cook briefly--about 15 seconds.
- Reduce heat to low. Slowly add the beer then bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.
- Add the beef broth, thyme sprigs and the ribs back to the pot. Bring to a simmer over high heat but do not boil.
- Place aluminum foil or parchment paper over the pot first (to help minimize evaporation) then cover securely with the lid. Transfer to the oven and cook 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- Skim off as much fat from the top as possible. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve with colcannon.
- COLCANNON: Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until wilted. Add water as necessary to keep the cabbage from browning.
- Add the scallions and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 15 seconds. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter along with the warmed milk, half-and-half or cream and mash well.
- Stir the cabbage into the potatoes. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve with ribs.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
2 ribsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 2274Total Fat: 142gSaturated Fat: 62gTrans Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 77gCholesterol: 526mgSodium: 1509mgCarbohydrates: 105gFiber: 13gSugar: 12gProtein: 137g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Valerie Stevens says
How would lamb shanks be to replace the beef short ribs?
Carol says
Hi, Valerie, Thanks so much for your question. I think lamb shanks would be great, too! Hope you enjoy!