Beer Braised Beef Short Rib Nachos

This post is a collaboration with Beef It’s What’s for Dinner.  On behalf of the Beef Checkoff, I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

Beef Short Ribs are delicious both smoked, braised, or smoked then braised.  They are luscious, flavorful and are the ultimate comfort food.  I’m using Beef Short Ribs to make the ultimate tailgating recipe: beer braised Beef Short Rib nachos.  For this recipe, braised Beef Short Ribs sit atop a platter of chips with queso and other delicious toppings.  The beef can be cooked ahead of time and reheats very well so there is less work when you want to assemble the nachos.

Beef Short Rib Recipes

My favorite part of cooking this recipe is how wonderful it makes my house smell during the cooking process.  In addition to that, this is a forgiving recipe which is flexible and so easy to make.  It just requires a few minutes of prep and a few hours of low maintenance cooking in the oven to finish.  The beer braised Short Ribs can also be placed over mashed potatoes, polenta or over rice for a great dinner.  Once you have the easy braising technique down, you can make a number of meals using this method.

Beef Short Ribs VS Spare Rib

Sometimes beef terminology can be confusing.  It all comes down to where on the animal the meat is located. Short Ribs are cut from the Chuck and the late Primal sections (specifically the Short Plate).   Short Ribs before being cut into smaller sections are nice and meaty averaging 1-2 inches of meat on top of each bone.

Beef Ribs are excellent braised or smoked for long periods of time to make them tender.  They also contain more internal marbling or fat than beef back ribs.  If you’re interested in smoking those massive,Short Rib Plates or, check out my method here.

Beef Spare Ribs or Beef Back Ribs are from the cow’s Rib Subprimal section.  These ribs are long and have meat between the bones, not on top of it. Spare Ribs have more flexibility in that they can be cooked quicker typically than Short Ribs.  The beef on Beef Spare Ribs is minimal in comparison to the size of the bone unlike with Short Ribs.

Braised Short Rib In Dutch Oven

For this recipe for beer braised Short Ribs, I start the cooking process in a Dutch oven on the stove.  The short ribs are browned in some oil first then removed from the Dutch oven.  Carrots, celery, onion and garlic are sautéed, and tomato paste added to add extra flavor.  Beef stock and a nice dark beer round create the braising liquid for the beef.  The Beef Ribs are then added back into the Dutch oven, the lid placed on top then put in the oven.

Which Beer To Use For Braising Short Ribs

Whether you are drinking beer or wine with beef or cooking with it, the pairing is much the same.  You want a bold flavored beer to stand up to the robust flavor of the beef.  The beer you pick should ideally be a stout, a dark ale or porter.  I used an oatmeal stout beer for this recipe but use your favorite.

What Does Braising Mean?

Braising is simply taking a cut of meat and cooking it slowly in some liquid until it is nice and tender.  Typically, the meat is browned initially at a high temperature.  Once browned, a braising liquid is added, and the cooking vessel covered.  The meat is cooked on low for a long period of time until tender and ready to eat.

The braising liquid which can be stock, wine, or a variety of other things, typically does not cover the meat.  As long as the liquid goes about halfway up the meat and the cooking vessel is covered, it will work beautifully.

How Long To Cook Short Ribs In The Oven

Once the Beef Short Ribs are in the oven, it’s smooth sailing from there.  But, what temperature should you cook them at and for how long?  The goal is to have the meat become tender to the point you can easily pull it apart into smaller tender pieces.

Unlike a roast which you may cook only to 145°F, the Beef Short Ribs need to go to a much higher temperature in order for the meat to become tender.  Typically, this occurs somewhere between 200-205°F.  You can’t put a specific number on it because of variations in the same cut of meat.  If you put an instant read thermometer in the meat though it should slide smoothly in like it is going through butter.  This is what people mean when they say “probe tender”.

Can I Smoke The Short Ribs Then Braise Them?

Absolutely!  Smoking the Beef Ribs prior to braising them adds great flavor.  Keep in mind however, you will need more than three hours to complete this whole process.

Smoked Short Ribs

To smoke the Short Ribs, give them a thin coating of oil then season them with kosher salt and pepper.  Smoke the beef over your wood of choice (such as oak, hickory or cherry) at 250-275°F for 3 hours.

For the purpose of this recipe, I would take the smoked ribs indoors and add them to the braising liquid in this recipe until finished.  That will take at least a couple more hours.  The alternative is to place the covered Beef Ribs in the braising liquid and back on the grill or smoker until they are tender and finished.

How do I decide what to do?  If it’s the dead of winter here in NY, I most definitely bring them inside as they aren’t going to take on anymore smoke once covered.  If it’s warm in the house and I don’t want to heat it up anymore, I finish the process on the grill.  Do what makes you happy.

Can I Use Chuck Roast Instead?

Absolutely!  The process will be exactly the same if using Chuck Roast instead of Beef Short Ribs.  If you can get a good deal on Chuck Roast or its more readily available it is a great alternative.

Let’s Talk Nachos!

Nachos are truly a blank canvas.  As far as I’m concerned, there needs to be tortilla chips, cheese and meat.  Yes I know, vegetarian nachos can be a thing, but not for this gal.  My ideal beer braised Beef Short Rib nachos have queso, pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos and seasoned black beans.  The important thing is to use this recipe as a guideline for making the beef.  Then, use that beef to create the nachos of your dreams!

I’m not getting into queso recipes in this post as there are great pre-made ones available.  There is no shortage of queso recipes on the internet if you desire to make your own.  Feel free to use any cheese you like.  If you would rather just melt cheese on the chips under the broiler instead, have at it.  I’m a sucker for good queso though.

For the black beans, I simply added a bit of olive oil to a saucepan and sauteéd about 1 tbsp minced onion with a clove of garlic and 1 tsp of cumin.  I cooked the beans on low for about 5 minutes until the flavors mingled nicely.

Can I Cook The Beef Short Ribs Ahead Of Time?

The beef Short ribs can certainly be cooked ahead of time. In fact, I encourage it.  You can cook the beef up to 4 days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.  If cooking ahead of time, cool the braising liquid and beef, and wait until the day you want to eat it to shred it.

When you want to reheat the meat, just warm the meat through in the braising liquid until hot.  Remove the meat from the braising liquid and shred it as if you made it the same day.  Spoon some of the braising liquid over the meat to keep it moist then put it on the nachos when assembling.

Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs

Once you understand the basics of this recipe, you will see that it is more a method rather than a recipe at all.  Swap the beer out for a nice full-bodied wine and continue with the same instructions.

After you strain the solids out of the braising liquid, reduce it to thicken and serve after adjusting the seasoning with salt and pepper.  It makes an outstanding dinner in fact when served with mashed potatoes, a root vegetable purée, polenta or rice as mentioned before.

For more great beef recipes and inspiration, visit www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.