Let's start with the most basic use of beer in cooking - marinades - marinades impart flavor to food, increase some foods ability to retain moisture during cooking and also tenderize certain foods. Often the use of a marinade is a means of taking a relatively modest cut of meat and making it more attractive as a main course - think Corned Beef.
As with all ingredients care must be taken to use the correct type of beer for the marinade. A delicate or mildly flavored dish such as most seafood would be overpowered by a coffee stout, on the other hand coffee stout might just be perfect with beef short ribs or chili rubbed flank steak. Conversely using a delicate pilsner in a highly spiced recipe may be next to pointless as the beer will be - quite literally - lost in the sauce. Here is a recipe for short ribs based on one used for Bison ribs in Bon Appetit Magazine. I have substituted coffe stout for some of the coffee and water in the original recipe. I have also reduced some of the other sugars as well to offset the malty sweetness found in many stouts.
Coffee Stout-Marinated Short Ribs
Adapted From Bon Appétit (February 2008)
Servings: Makes 6 servings
Marinade:
4 cups water
1 -12 ounce bottle Coffee Stout or Coffee Porter (Try Founder's Breakfast Stout or Goose Island's Coffee Stout)
1/2 cup coarse kosher salt*
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 pounds Beef short ribs, cut between ribs to separate into individual servings and to increase the surface area for the marinade to penetrate and browning.
Short Ribs:
1/4 cup chopped bacon (about 1 1/2 ounces)
2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped shallots
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small jalapeño chile, seeded, chopped
1 cup coffee stout
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup chili sauce (such as Heinz) or ketchup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Preparation
For marinade:
Stir 4 cups water, 1 bottle of stout, 1/2 cup kosher salt, and sugar in large bowl until salt and sugar dissolve. Add syrup and next 3 ingredients; stir. Add ribs. Place plate atop ribs to keep submerged. Cover and chill at least 4 to 6 hours. Drain ribs; discard marinade. DO AHEAD: Drained ribs can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
For short ribs:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Sauté bacon in heavy large wide ovenproof pot over medium heat until beginning to brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to plate. Increase heat to medium-high. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook ribs until browned on all sides, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer to large plate. Add onions, shallots, garlic, and jalapeño to pot. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add coffee stout and broth; stir, scraping up browned bits. Add chili sauce and all remaining ingredients; bring to boil. Add bacon and ribs, cover, and transfer to oven. Braise until meat is tender, about 2 hours 15 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm in 325°F oven until heated through, about 20 minutes, before continuing.
Transfer ribs to plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Skim fat from surface of sauce. Boil sauce until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over ribs.
Pair with more coffee stout - or a dry stout such as Guiness which is lighter bodied but very roasty. Now some of you may be alarmed by the amount of Salt this recipe calls for. Remember this is for the marinade which is discarded. Also the salt serves a purpose here. Salt's role is to pull the other flavors of the marinade into the meat. It does this by someting akin to osmsis. Osmosis is the natural process of of a soluble seeking equilibrium by moving from an area with a higher concentration to one with a lower concentration. Salt will move from the marinadeinto the meat (pulling the beer, water and sugars and other flavors with it, at the same time it increases the salt content in the meat which increases the meats ability to retain moisture. The salt also breaks down the celluar structure of the beef. Much like brining a turkey this will ensure a moister more tender meat. If you intend to marinate for more than 4-6 hours you will probably want to dial back on the amount of salt you use. If you do not have Kosher Salt you can use table salt but use a bit less.
What can be better than braised short ribs and mashed potoes or polenta on a cold January day. Enjoy!
