This is an outstanding recipe from All About Braising by Molly Stevens. They do take time and effort to make, but it’s well worth the effort. They may just be the best thing you’ve made in a long time.
Whatever you do, don’t skip the maple-rosemary glaze, it really ensures an elegant result. I recommend making doubling or tripling the glaze recipe so you can use it on other cuts of meat. Think putting it on steak or glazing a pot roast.
Note that the recipe calls for salting the ribs for a day before cooking. Please keep that in mind if you plan on including that step.
What you’ll need for the ribs
- 3 or 4 pounds beef spare ribs (bone-in is better, but I made boneless with great results)
- Coarse salt
- Ground black pepper
- 2T olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions (about 1 lb) sliced 0.5 inches thick
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into 0.5-inch-thick pieces
- 1.5 cups (12 oz.) porter ale
- 0.75 cups beef or chicken stock (use water in a pinch)
- 1 4-inch-long fresh rosemary sprig
- 1 or 2 bay leaves
What you’ll need for the glaze
- 3T real maple syrup
- 2 3-inch fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1T prepared horseradish (I skipped this, to good effect)
What to do
Trim the ribs of excess fat. Don’t cut off the silver connective tissue that holds the ribs together. Salt the ribs all over with about 1T of kosher salt. Wrap the ribs and refrigerate for cooking the next day. You could get away with skipping this step if you need to make them right away.
When ready to cook. Begin heating your oven to 300 degrees F. Pat dry the ribs, but don’t try to rub the salt from them. Season them with pepper. Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium heat and brown the ribs on each side—about 4 minutes per side to get a good browning. Maybe do this in two batches so you don’t crowd the pot. When they’re browned, remove the ribs to a large high-edged plate and set aside.
Pour off all but 1T of the fat from the Dutch oven and return it to medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrot slices. Season them with salt and pepper, then sauté them for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
While the onions and carrots are sautéing, warm up the ale a bit in the microwave if it’s been refrigerated. Don’t put the whole bottle in; pour it into a glass measuring cup.
Add the ale to the sautéed onions and bring it to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any stuck bits of browned meat. Now add the stock and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and return the ribs to the pan, including any drippings from the plate in which they’ve been sitting. Add the rosemary and bay leaves. At this point, the ribs should be partially submerged in liquid. Add more ale or broth, if needed.
Cover the ribs loosely with parchment paper (without it touching the meat) and put the lid on the Dutch oven. Put the pot in the oven and let the ribs cook for about 2 or 2.5 hours, carefully turning the ribs a couple of times with tongs. After about 10 minutes in the oven, check to see that the dish is not simmering too quickly. If it’s more than a light simmer, lower the oven temp 10 or 15 degrees.
When you put the ribs in the oven, make the glaze.
Combine the maple syrup and rosemary springs in a small saucepan. Heat to a gentle simmer over medium heat then remove the saucepan from the heat, put on the cover, and let the rosemary infuse for at least an hour. This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
When the ribs are done, they’ll be really tender, and the meat will fall away from the bones. Carefully remove them from the braising liquid to a small and shallow flameproof casserole dish large enough to hold the ribs in a single layer. Scoop out the onions and carrots from the braising liquid with a slotted spoon and put them around the ribs, but not on top of them. Cover loosely with foil to keep them warm.
To finish the braising liquid, you want to remove as much oil and fat as possible. You can 1) skim it off the top with a spoon, 2) use a gravy separator, or 3) and this takes the longest, pour the braising liquid into a shallow bowl and put it in the freezer just until the fat solidifies. Remove the solidified fat from the top of the braising liquid and return the liquid to the Dutch oven. Bring the liquid to a strong simmer, cooking it down to about a half-cup. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Remove from the heat, but keep it warm.
To glaze the ribs, set your broiler to high and put one of the racks close to the broiler. Carefully pour the braising liquid around the ribs, but not over them. Brush the top of the ribs with the glaze (remove the rosemary sprigs) and put them under the broiler for a few minutes until the glaze becomes shiny and caramelized.
Transfer the ribs and vegetables to a platter or serving plates and serve hot.
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