Recipe from The Civil Life Brewing Company
1 lb. beef short ribs
1 T. canola oil
2 leeks, halved and sliced thin (white and green parts)
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 rib celery, chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 c. pearled barley
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper and salt
2 sprigs fresh thyme
12 oz. Brown Ale (Civil Life’s American Brown Ale is recommended)
8 c. beef stock (or water, or a combination of the two)
Fresh parsley
>>1 Add the oil to a soup pot and place over medium-high heat. Brown the short ribs on each side for a minute or two until they develop a slight crust. Remove and set aside the meat.
>>2 Add all the vegetables to the pot and stir to coat. Let the veggies brown a bit. Add the barley and stir. Add the tomato paste and stir for a minute or until the paste darkens just a bit. Pour the beer into the pot and scrape the bottom to deglaze the pan, making sure to get all the tasty brown bits up from the bottom.
>>3 Add the meat back to the pot and turn the heat down to low. Pour in the rest of the liquid, Worcestershire, and the fresh thyme. Add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Simmer covered for three hours.
>>4 Remove from heat and skim off a bit of the fat. Remove the short ribs and dice the meat before returning it to the pot. Garnish with a bit of chopped parsley and serve warm with crusty bread, butter and beer.
Serves 6
Photo courtesy of The Civil Life Brewing Company