Beer-Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs
Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

One reviewer served this with mashed potatoes with chives and Brussels sprouts. Melissa d'Arabian has a braised country-style pork rib recipe that she serves over a creamy polenta that she makes with milk, half-and-half, butter and Parmesan cheese.

FMM: Brian and I made this and it turned out very flavorful with enough sauce to use on potatoes or other starch. We made egg noodles and it tasted really good although the sauce was a little greasy - the cuts we had had a lot of fat, some of which could be cut off before baking. We forgot to add the vinegar and honey at the end, but will try it this way next time. We cooked the meat in a 300 degree oven for 4 - 5 hours. It came out very tender, with some browning on the top, and shredded nicely for mixing in with the noodles.

4 pounds bone-in country-style pork ribs
Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 12-ounce bottle amber ale
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. [Brian used a 300 degree oven.) Pat the ribs dry, season with salt and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ribs in batches and cook until browned, about 8 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Add the onions and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon paprika and season with salt.

Add the beer; bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 8 minutes, scraping up the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and thyme; when the liquid begins to simmer, return the ribs to the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook, uncovered, turning the ribs once or twice, until the meat is almost tender, about 1 hour. [Add water if the liquid starts to evaporate too much. You want to keep them moist. We did not keep turning them.]

Mix the vinegar and honey in a measuring cup. Remove the pot from the oven and place on the stovetop; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the vinegar mixture and bring to a boil, then return the pot to the oven. Continue to braise, uncovered, until the ribs are tender, 15 to 20 more minutes. Return the pot to the stovetop and transfer the ribs to a plate. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat; skim off the fat and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Return the ribs to the pot and heat through. Discard the bay leaves and thyme.

6 - 8 servings