Doppelbock-Braised Short Ribs
by Rich Ireland
This is an easy-to-prepare dish that features hearty German doppelbock lager beer as a braising liquid which then reduces into a complex and flavorful demi-glace that goes great with a good piece of chewy bread with butter or buttered noodles/spätzle. The dish should be served with a dark lager beer such as dunkle or märzen.
- Ingredients:
- 16-24 oz. beef short ribs (well-marbled)
- 16-24 oz. doppelbock beer
- 1 large onion, cut into medium-to-large wedges
- 2 cups eggplant, cut into large cubes (debittered by soaking in salt water for 4 hours, then rinsing)
- Optional: Parsnips or potatoes in lieu of or addition to eggplant (cubed)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
- 3 Tbsp flour (optional for dredging beef for browning
- Directions:
- Brown the beef in a large skillet or saucepan using canola oil on high heat for 2 minutes per side. Reduce heat and add beer, seasoning and half of the onion wedges. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Add remaining onion and eggplant (or other vegetables) and continue simmering covered for 30 minutes.
- Taste the sauce; it should be bitter at this point. Add the brown sugar to sweeten to taste. Cover and continue to simmer for an additional 45 minutes or until ribs want to fall apart, making sure the juices do not reduce to the point of burning (add a little water if needed).
- Serve the ribs with sauce and vegetables over the top.
download PDF