Beer Braised Beef Ribs

1 Handful Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1 Stalk Celery, halved
3 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 Teaspoons Fresh Coarse Ground Black Pepper
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 Medium Carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Medium Onion, roughly chopped
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and halved
3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 (14 Oz) Can of Diced Tomatoes
All-Purpose Flour (4 Tablespoons will be more than enough)
2 Cups of your favorite Dark Beer
2 Cups Red Wine, dryer and fuller bodied is better
6 Cups Beef Stock (Homemade is best but you can use store bought too, just make sure it’s stock and not broth)
2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce (optional)
1 Lemon (optional)

Directions:

Ok so you are going to need a dutch oven or some big pot with a lid that can go inside the stove.

So to start, trim off all of the extra fat from the ribs. While the fat tastes delicious there is just way too much of it and will make your braising liquid oily, which is gross.

Preheat the oven to 325

Season the meat with salt and pepper.

Dust the ribs with the flour.

Heat the oil and and brown the ribs on all sides. (I may need mention that if the ribs we purchased as a slab of ribs you will need to cut then into individual ribs. Sorry should have mentioned that before)

Remove the ribs from the pan and thrown in the veggies. You are looking to caramelize the outside and soften them up a bit.

Throw in the garlic

Put the ribs back in and pour in all the liquids (minus hot sause and lemon juice, those are for later), tomato products, and herbs. Cook for a minute or two, just to combine everything.

Cover and throw it in the oven.

Cook for 3 hours. It could take longer. You will know they are done when the bone can be pulled away from the meat.

Once the meat is cooked remove it and reduce the braising liquid by half. This becomes your sauce. I add a little hot sauce at this point and maybe a squeeze of lemon to clean up the flavor.

Once  it is reduced put the meat back in the sauce and you are ready to eat. I usually serve them over grits, but you can also pull out the bones and make one really delicious sandwich…