This recipe came about through a little serendipity.

I had been craving short ribs. Okay, the truth is I’d been craving short ribs for months, but who really wants to eat short ribs when it’s 80 degrees out?! So, I was in Whole Foods, yet again craving short ribs, and I saw that they had grass fed short ribs. These are not easy to come by. I snatched them! I took all the short ribs they had in the store.

Then I surfed the store for something to cook them with. I thought beer sounded good. I was thinking Guinness. But then I saw Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock. That sounded too good to be true. I picked up the bottle, and I got to talking to the beer guy. He wondered what my cooking plans were. I hadn’t gotten much past short ribs and chocolate bock. Between the two of us, we came up with a rough version of this recipe. 

I won’t lie to you, this recipe takes time. Short ribs are not a spur-of-the-moment meal. Done right, this takes about 3 days from start to finish. But oh my God, these melt in your mouth! I served them with mashed potatoes and beet greens steamed in white wine and shallots. A nice pinot noir rounded out the meal. Of course, you could just drink more chocolate bock!

Fabulous Chocolate Bock Short Ribs

Serves 6

3 lbs short ribs
1/4 cup olive oil
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
sea salt and pepper to taste
pearl onions (I used baby cipollines)
3 ribs celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, seeds and ribs removed, diced
1 bay leaf
750 ml Sam Adams chocolate bock (or other dark beer)
4 oz port (LBV or ruby)
baby carrots

1. Rub the leaves from 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme and fresh pepper over the short ribs.  Place in a covered bowl and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Take the meat out of the refrigerator one hour before you start. Sprinkle with sea salt.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°
3. Coat the onions (leave the skins on) with 1-2 tbsp oil and thyme and roast them on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes. Let cool. Remove the skins. 
4. Turn the oven down to 325°
5. Heat the remaining oil in a large dutch oven (I used a 4 liter round ceramic Emile Henry pan) over low heat.  Brown the celery, carrot, poblano, and onion in the oil until they are soft. Add the remaining thyme leaves and a bay leaf. Add the shortribs, moving the vegetables out of the way and then coating the meat with them. Brown the meat on all sides, which takes about 20 minutes. 
6. Add the bock and the port. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 3 hours, until the meat is very tender and pierces easily with a fork.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool about 1 hour. Then place the pot in the refrigerator overnight.
8. The following day, remove the pan from the refrigerator and skim the fat off.  
9. Preheat the oven to 325°.  Remove the short ribs from the broth and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Brown in the oven for 15 minutes.
10. Put the pot on the stove over low heat and warm through. Then add the roasted baby onions and a handful of baby carrots. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
    Serve 2-3 ribs with broth and vegetables.