Root Beer Short Ribs

I've been the world's worst at buying a magazine for recipes, but never making them. However, I've recently become adventuresome in the kitchen. I actually use recipes out of cookbooks and magazines. It's crazy, I know.

Several restaurants I've visited recently all have some sort of short ribs on the menu. The most recent being Dublin Dr. Pepper Short Ribs at Fearing's in Dallas. Oh, they were great. Just melt in your mouth good!

After those, I decided that I'd get on the trendy-cook train and make short ribs. Not just any short ribs, but a recipe I drooled over in a magazine: root beer short ribs.

The end product was amazing. Even though they took longer than the 30 minutes I usually dedicate to making a meal, I would do it again.

As a side note, I bought 2 1/2 pounds of boneless short ribs. Also, I stopped at step three, put them in the refrigerator and continued the next day. Allowing the entire pot to cool makes the fat float to the top; it was super easy to spoon off.

Everyday Food, December 2009

Root Beer Short Ribs

Serves 6

Prep time: 25 minutes

Total time: 4 hours

4 1/2 pounds short ribs, cut into 4 inch pieces

coarse salt and ground pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed

2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch wedges

3 large celery stalks, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 small carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

10 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

1 sprig rosemary

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 whole star anise

3 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 cups good-quality root beer

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Season ribs generously with salt and pepper. In an 8-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil on high. In batches, brown ribs on all sides, about 20 minutes total. (I did about 4 minutes per side.) If oil gets too dark during browning, pour off and add more oil (do note wipe pot clean). Transfer ribs to a plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot.

2. Add onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, cumin, and star anise. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until onions soften, 5 minutes. Return ribs to pot and add broth and root beer. Bring to a rapid simmer, cover, and place pot in oven.

3. Cook until meat can be easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 3 hours. (To store, refrigerate, up to 4 days.) With a slotted spoon, transfer ribs to a large straight-sided skillet. Skim off and discard any fat from cooking liquid. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into skillet; discard solids. Boil over medium-high until liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Continue to cook, spooning liquid over meat occasionally, until ribs are glazed and sauce is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. (It took about 10-12 for mine to thicken.) Season with salt and pepper.

They're excellent with the mashed sweet potatoes. I do love sweet potatoes and don't need anything put with them, but since we had company, I dressed them up just a bit. I baked three sweet potatoes, then removed the skins and placed them in a bowl. I added about 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar, then mashed everything together.

Bon appetit!