These Stout Braised Short Ribs over Potato Gnocchi with Irish Cheese Sauce make an impressive restaurant-style meal you can make right at home! Soft, pillowy homemade gnocchi drenched in a rich cheese sauce and topped with melt-in-your-mouth tender short ribs slowly braised in a dark and creamy stout. Now, that is a meal we can get behind!
Braising meat is a wonderful cooking method that allows you to get super tender meat with tons of rich flavor. We use this method in many of our recipes as this slow cooking method breaks down the connective tissue in tougher cuts of meat, like this Birria, and Red Wine Braised Beef Shank. This Braised Short Ribs recipe is a great choice for a special occasion or if you want to jazz up your classic beef recipes.
What Are Braised Short Ribs?
Start with one of our favorite cuts , short ribs, which are cut from the plate and chuck area of the cow. They are best cooked low and slow for a long cooking time, whether that be sous vide short ribs, smoked short ribs or these braised short ribs. It helps to break down the connective tissues and turn this otherwise tough cut of beef into the perfect meal. You can generally find chuck short ribs at your local butcher or grocery stores, but we specifically like to ask to have them cut thick, with at least 1 1/2 to 2″ of meat on top of the bone, known as English style short ribs.
These Short Ribs are braised in the oven for 2 to 3 hours until fall off the bone tender. The secret to these short ribs is the braising liquid. Instead of using wine or beef stock, we’re using an Oatmeal stout beer. The beer imparts a beautiful flavor to the meat without being too overpowering. To top it off, we’re making our own potato gnocchi tossed in an Irish cheese sauce for the ultimate depth of flavor. We take the usual rich red wine sauce and turn this one into something entirely new.
Short Rib Recipe Ingredients
FOR THE POTATO GNOCCHI
- Potatoes – We use Idaho Russet potatoes. They’re starchier than other types of potatoes, which gives the gnocchi better structure.
- Salt and Pepper
- Egg Yolks – the egg yolks are what bind the ingredients together so the gnocchi can hold its shape.
- Flour – you’ll need anywhere from 1½ -2 cups of flour. Be sure to add ½ cup at a time just until you create a dough. After that, no more is needed. If you add too much flour, the gnocchi won’t hold their shape.
FOR THE BRAISED SHORT RIBS
- Short Ribs – We use bone-in short ribs for a more tender texture.
- Kosher Salt and Freshly ground Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion and Garlic – sautéed in the olive oil to create an aromatic flavor base for the cooking liquid.
- Tomato Paste, Oatmeal Stout, and Beef Broth – the base of the cooking liquid needed to braise the short ribs. These three ingredients give the short ribs so much flavor!
- Carrots – peel and chop the carrots into 1″ chunks to serve over top the gnocchi.
- Bay Leaf
- Fresh Thyme
FOR THE IRISH CHEESE SAUCE
- Butter and Flour – whisked together to create a roux that helps thicken the sauce.
- Shallot
- Stout Beer and Milk – the base for the Irish cheese sauce.
- Dijon Mustard – adds a kick of spice to cut the richness from the cheese.
- Cheese – We use a combination of Dubliner and Gouda cheese, which add rich, nutty flavors and create an ultra-creamy sauce.
- Salt and Pepper – added to taste.
How to Make Braised Beef Short Ribs
This entire recipe looks like a lot, but it actually comes together super quickly with minimal hands-on time! The hardest part will be the gnocchi, but we promise it’s worth it for these tender little pillows of flavor.
FOR THE GNOCCHI
Pierce the potatoes, wrap them in foil, and bake for 1 hour. Allow them to cool, then peel and rice or mash.
Add the egg yolks to the potatoes and season with salt. Mix to combine, then start working in the flour, ½ cup at a time.
Grab a fist full of dough and roll it out onto a clean, floured surface into ¾” long tubes. Use a pastry cutter to divide the dough into 1″ pillows. Arrange the cut gnocchi on a baking sheet, sprinkle with more flour, then cover as you finish out the rest of the dough.
To cook the gnocchi, bring salted water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then add the gnocchi to the water. Cook for 4 minutes, then drain and toss with butter or oil.
FOR THE STOUT BRAISED SHORT RIBS
Take the short ribs from the package and pat them dry with paper towels. Season the short ribs with salt on all sides and heat a large Dutch oven or braising dish over medium-high heat. Add oil, then add in the short ribs and brown for 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium, add in the onion, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, cook for another 30 seconds, then add the tomato paste, stout, broth, carrots, bay leaf, and thyme.
Arrange the browned short ribs over the bones, pour any juices back into the pan, then cover and cook in the oven at 300ºF for 2 to 3 hours, rotating the pan every hour. Dispose of the bones, bay leaf, and thyme, and rest before serving.
FOR THE IRISH CHEESE SAUCE
Melt butter over medium heat, then add in the shallot. Cook for 5-7 minutes and season with salt. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding in the stout. Whisk constantly so no clumps form. Stir in Dijon mustard and milk, then reduce the heat.
A little at a time, add in the cheese, stirring until melted. Season with salt, pepper, and minced thyme.
FOR SERVING
Toss the gnocchi with the cheese sauce, ladle into serving dishes, then set short ribs and carrots over the center of each. Garnish with fresh thyme, salt and pepper, then serve!
What to Serve With Braised Short Ribs
We served these stout braised short ribs and potato gnocchi with Irish cheese sauce next to a wedge of oven-roasted cabbage, which really rounded out what was an already decadent meal. If you don’t have gnocchi on hand, creamy polenta is always a favorite or mashed potatoes.
You could also serve this next to a side of steamed broccoli or roasted green beans.
Leftovers & Reheating
Leftover cooked gnocchi is best right away but will last for up to 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container. To reheat, place in an oven-safe dish and bake at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. If the cheese sauce has thickened too much, you can add a splash of milk to thin it out.
Leftover braised short ribs will last for up to 3 days in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer. To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen, then microwave or warm on the stove until heated through.
