Saucy and incredibly tender stout braised beef short ribs are piled high over creamy bowls of mascarpone polenta for the ultimate AND surprisingly easy cold weather comfort food!
Yes, I did say easy PEASY and yes, I sure did say beef short ribs + mascarpone polenta are gracing your dinner plans tonight. Commence uncontrollable drooling.
And imma bout to go live in that pot down there til spring. Bye.
There’s just something about a big ‘ol cozy pot of braised beef that gets me EVERY time. It’s herby, it’s incredibly saucy, it’s got fall-apart tender meat + veggies, and you get to pile it over something incredible like mashed potatoes or creamy polenta like we are doing today.
Uhhh….plus, we’re braising all of the above in a dark stout beer cause that’s just how we roll in the biggest beer state in the U.S. You know you’re in.
The first step to any braising business is gonna be the browning of the meat. Sear your short ribs on all sides in a little bit of butter + olive oil. A little garlic + shallot action follows and then we’re ready to collectively throw everything in the pot, bring ‘er to a boil, and let a low ‘n’ slow oven take care of the rest of business.
If you can, try try TRY to let this meat go for at least 2 hours. You want the short ribs to still hold their shape, but be fall-apart tender to the point where you can cut it with your fork.
Meet your new lover. It’s that bowl of GOALS down there.
And holy heck, the FLAVAH. The stout sure does its job here and soaks into all the meat and forms the most amazing gravy for piling ALL OVER EVERYTHING.
And if you’re not about ready to faceplant into that bowl down there, I don’t even know anymore, guys.
Stout-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Mascarpone Polenta
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Ingredients
Short Ribs
- 1-1/2 lbs beef short ribs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 medium carrots, cut into 2-in chunks
- 12 oz dark stout beer
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons flour
Polenta
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1-1/2` cups yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Short Ribs
- Pat short ribs dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add butter and olive oil. Sear short ribs 2-3 minutes on all sides until a deep golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In remaining drippings over medium heat, saute garlic, shallot, and carrot until just fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour stout and beef broth into pan and bring to a simmer.
- Nestle short ribs back into pan and add thyme. Cover dutch oven and place in 300F oven and let cook 2 hours or until short ribs are very tender.
- Remove short ribs from pan and transfer to a plate. Whisk flour with a little bit of liquid from pan until smooth. Add all back to pan and bring to simmer over medium-high heat until thickened. Place short ribs back in pan and keep warm.
Polenta
- In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and slowly whisk in cornmeal until smooth. Let cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until polenta is thickened and tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove polenta from heat and stir in butter, mascarpone cheese, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve short ribs hot over polenta. Enjoy!
Shawna says
This sounds AMAZING!!! I am drooling all over my keyboard and cannot wait to make this dish this weekend.