Beer and Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs

I bought a great book a few years ago that uses the flavored oils and balsamic vinegars that you see in multiple shops across the country. In our area it's Ripe from the Vine but I have also bought LeRoux, Fiore and Artisan over the years. They all come in dark bottles (they used to be refillable years ago when you visited the shop) and you can sample them before buying. Believe it or not, most of the vinegars are so delicious they are practically drinkable. They last a long time which is good because I often forget about them for fruit, vegetables and desserts.

On the front of the book, The Olive Oil and Vinegar Lover's Cookbook, there is a great list of the current flavors at the time of publication. There are a few more now, like Suyo Cucumber which is delicious with Dill flavored oil. There is also a series of cookbooks using these vinegars for Italian, Spanish, Greek and Syrian cuisine by the same author. If you use "balsamic" as a search term on this blog, you'll find some great recipes using flavored balsamic.

Yesterday I decided to Beer and Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs in the crockpot. (I use shallow cookers called Magnifique Slow Cookers. They are great for braising and slow-cooking in smaller quantities than the large crockpots. They are also terrific servers on the table for stew, chili, soups, etc. That said, I had to replace my beautiful huge All-Clad when it died and wish I still had it. For this smaller recipe, however, the smaller is a better option.)

I had one package of short ribs which is one pound so I altered the recipe (in notes)

• 2-3 lbs trimmed beef short ribs (I used 1 lb. or four pieces already trimmed)
• 2 T. EVOO (1 used one)
• 1 large onion (I used 1/2)
• 2 garlic cloves (we love garlic!)
• 1/3 cup Espresso Dark balsamic vinegar (I used about 1/4 cup for flavor)
• 2 T. tomato paste (I used 1 T of the tube-kind that you keep in the refrigerator)
• 2 cups stout-style dark beer (I used a milk stout by Left Hand Brewing that we had on hand)
• 4-6 cups beef stock (I used about 2 cups and did not completely cover the ribs in the pot - they were fine and used the surplus broth for a delicious onion soup. I did not make a gravy but used about 1/2 cup of the broth on top on the dish.)

Sear the short ribs in the oil in the pot on all sides - about 1 minutes each side. Place them aside on a plate. Chop the onion and garlic and add to the crockpot and saute until soft and golden for 5-7 minutes. Add the balsamic and tomato paste to to deglaze the pan, scraping bit off the bottom.  Add the ribs, bone-up. Cover with the beer and the beef stock.*

Place the lid on the cooker and cook the ribs on low for 6 to 8 hours. I served them with Basmati rice cooked with cubed carrots and fresh peas. Cover with sauce.