Short Ribs Braised in Porter Ale with Maple-Rosemary Glaze

When I saw “All About Braising“, the new cookbook by Molly Stevens, at the library I had to check it out. I LOVE braised meats, but I haven’t had that much experience making them. I figure this would be an opportunity to learn.
There were so many wonderful choices in the book that I couldn’t make up my mind as to what to make so I had to let Mike decide. He decided on this recipe here and a leg of lamb recipe I’m currently cooking and that I’ll post soon.
I made the recipe pretty much according to the instructions, though I didn’t use bay leaves as I had misplaced them (ok, ok, they’d fallen behind the stove – sheesh!). I also wasn’t very dilligent about spooning off the fat, making the braising liquid fatter than it should have been. In any case, the results were very good and worth all the work. Mike loved it and would definitely like it again. I liked it too, but I think I like short ribs braised in wine better. Still, its certainly a dish you can serve to family and friends and make them happy. I would use about 1 lb of short ribs per person.
As usual, the recipe below is what I made.

Short Ribs Braised in Porter Ale with Maple-Rosemary Glaze
Ingredients

1 tbsp. prepared horseradish
Instructions
Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Trim excess fat from the ribs. Dry them with a paper towel. Season them with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot. Brown the short ribs on all sides, you may need to do this in batches. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Pour off all but a tablespoon of fat from the pot. Return the pot to medium heat and add the onions and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and sautee until golden. Add the ale and bring to a full boil. Boil for 2 minutes while scrapping any browned bits from the pot. Add the stock, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the short ribs and place the rosemary spring and bay leaves between them. Remove from heat.
Cover the pot with wax paper, pressing down so that it almost touches the meat and leaving a 1″ border outside the pot. Seal with the lid and put in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes and check to see if the liquid is boiling heavily – if so, reduce temperature by 10 or 15 degrees. Braise for a further 2 1/2 hours.
While the ribs are braising, make the glaze. In a small pot bring to a boil the maple syrup and the rosemary sprigs. Remove from the heat and let it seat for an hour. Remove the rosemary sprigs and mix with the horseradish.
When the ribs are ready – they are falling off the bone – transfer them to a shallow baking dish, placing them in a single layer. Discard any bones that have fallen off. Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables and place between the ribs. Brush the glaze over the ribs.
Spoon off any visible fat from the braising liquid. Bring the braising liquid to a boil and boil until it reduces into a syrupy consistency. Pour the braising liquid around the ribs.
Heat oven to a broil, and broil the ribs for about 4 minutes.

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