Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs

The cool autum weather is finally here and I can turn on the oven for a long braise again!  I happened to walk into the butcher shop and saw these beautiful short ribs. I wanted to keep this on the lighter side (as light as short ribs can be) so I did a beer and beef broth braise with lots of veggies. 

Ingredients:

1-2 short ribs per person (depending on size)

2 onions sliced

1 fennel bulb (anise), quartered, core removed and thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled, halved and sliced into half rounds

2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled

1 bottle of beer (ale or stout)

3 cups of beef broth

2 sprigs of oregano

1/2 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tsp of salt

Olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Cornstarch or other thickener

Preheat the oven to 375. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Season the ribs generously with salt and pepper. Place the ribs meat side down and cook until nicely browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down if it starts to smoke. Turn and brown the meat on all of the remaining sides. Remove the meat to a plate and add the onions and anise, stirring occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables just begin to caramelize. Add in the garlic and stir for a minute. Add in the carrots, beer, beef stock and salt, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Add back in the short ribs and top with the oregano and parsley. Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is very tender. Remove from the oven, take the meat out and remove the bones. Skim off excess fat from the remaining liquid. Add cornstarch mixed with beef broth or water until desired sauce consistency is reached. Serve with loaded mashed potatoes for a real treat!