Monday, October 12, 2009

Beer and Chocolate Braised Short Ribs




I went to the farmers’ market on Saturday with a specific purpose: fresh, raw cream. Unfortunately, my love of leisurely weekend mornings got the better of me… again. La Boucherie was sold out by 10am. Damn! Next weekend calls for an alarm.

So I walked around for a bit, determined to go home with something delicious. And that’s when the sign from The Beef Shop caught my eye: grass-fed beef short ribs. This was semi-new to me; dare I splurge on such uncharted territory? If I remember correctly, I once made some slow-cooked BBQ pork ribs for a dinner party and they were delicious. I guess anything that simmers for hours in a tasty sauce has favorable chances. So I bought a few pounds and headed home to figure out what to do with them.



After consulting some reliable sources, I landed upon a this recipe by Dave Lebovitz, which was adapted from one by Dave Lieberman. Not only did it call for ginger, garlic, beer and hoisin sauce, he kicked it up a notch with chocolate and chili powder. This was clearly worth a try.



After the 4-hour process of seasoning, searing, simmering and baking (all while my stomach growled), I can confidently say that it was worth the wait. The sauce was ultra indulgent – chocolaty and rich - and the ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the tiniest pinch of orange zest would help cut through the richness and cause a true flavor explosion. Next time. For sure.

2 comments:

Marcail said...

Oh my god - that looks amazing! It reminds me of the Chocolate Stout Cake from Smitten Kitchen - have you tried that one out? Seriously, what can't beer and chocolate make delicious?

Talley Lambert said...

Woah. Those look seriously decadent! what a crazy combination of flavors.