This match is all about winter comfort. Beef short rib is a cut that's perfect for slow cooking as it has heaps of flavour and a hearty richness from all the marbled fat. I have to give credit to my partner Sarah Blanchard for this recipe. Braised in porter with winter vegetables and lentils it makes for the perfect winter warmer.
Ingredients:
2kg Beef Short Rib (find it at good butchers or Moore Wilson's Fresh)
2 Carrots diced
3 sticks Celery diced
5 Garlic cloves crushed
5 Kalamata Olices
2 tablespoons Capers
Salt pepper
A splash of fish sauce
1 bottle
Tuatara Porter
½ cup Beef stock
1 tin lentils
2 teaspoons olive oil
Mint Gremolata
1 cup of chopped mint leaves
2 anchovy fillets cut fine
Cracked black pepper
Zest of one lemon chopped fine
3 teaspoons lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil ( Lemon infused is particularly good)
Method
Fry off the carrots and celery in the olive oil, add olives, capers and garlic after a minute or two. Add to slow cooker or casserole along with the short rib, porter, and beef stock. Cook over night in the slow cooker or in a 130C oven for about 5 hours making sure that the rib doesn't dry out and has plenty of fluid. Once the meat is falling off the bone remove it and drain the fluid and vegetables into a sauce pan and simmer to reduce, add the lentils about 5 minutes before the end of cooking. Combine the Gremolata ingredients. Cut the beef and present it on the lentil mixture with the gremolata on top.
The Beer
Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black is a black IPA meaning that it combines the malt character of a robust porter with the pronounced fruity hop aroma and flavour of a new world India Pale Ale. With aromas of citrus and hints of tropical fruit and a palate that features orange fruit alongside chocolate and espresso Pot Kettle Black is an extremely complex drop.
The Match
The slow cooked rib is extremely rich and hearty. Pot Kettle Black offers a good dose of zesty citrus hop character that helps to cut the richness of the beef. The rich chocolate malt notes in the beer find a harmony with the richness of the meat and also with the richness of the reduced porter cooking juices. The fruity hops also will find a harmony with the lemon and mint character of the Gremolata.
Cheers
Kieran Haslett-Moore