Serves 4
4 Short ribs trimmed
1 small onion diced
2 med. carrots diced
1 stalk of celery diced
1 small leek
½ head garlic
5 bottles of dark beer (Guinness or similar)
½ inch of a cinnamon stick
½ orange peel
½ lemon peel
1 sprig of thyme
1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. all purpose flour
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. sweet butter
Gingered carrots:
½ lbs. carrots
1 small piece of ginger
1 small shallot
½ Tbs. sugar
½ cup water
1 Tbs. butter
½ Tbs. chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 275º
In a casserole large enough to hold the 4 short ribs, heat up the vegetable oil. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and dust with 1 Tbs flour. When the oil just starts to slightly smoke, place the ribs in the casserole and sear on all sides to a golden brown.
Remove from the casserole and degrease the casserole. Place the diced vegetables in the casserole and slowly caramelize them. Add the brown sugar and keep on browning - the sugar will start to melt. When entirely melted place the short ribs back in the casserole and deglaze with the 5 bottles of dark beer. Add the cinnamon stick, orange and lemon peels and the garlic. Bring to a simmer and then place in the preheated oven. Check after a few minutes that the ribs are indeed simmering. After about 1 hour and 15 minutes, check the ribs for doneness.
When done, remove the casserole from the oven and take the short ribs out of the braising liquid. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh chinois. Discard the vegetables, bring back to a slight boil and skim off the fat. Mix the remaining flour with one TB soft butter and stir into the stock. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes, always skimming off fat. You should obtain a sauce that is quite dark and rich with a consistency that just will lightly cover the back of a spoon. When the sauce is finished, place the short ribs in the sauce until you will serve them.
For the gingered carrots:
Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Peel the ginger and cut into fine julienne. Peel and finely chop the shallots. In a medium saucepan, heat up the butter together with the sugar, salt and pepper. Add the shallots and the ginger julienne. Sweat until soft without color. Add the carrots and stir until they are nicely covered with the shallot, butter and ginger mixture. Add the water and bring to a slow boil. Cover and cook until the carrots are just done – so that they still have a slight bite. Check for seasoning and add the chopped parsley.