Just catching up with posting this, even though I made it a few days ago. Last weekend was a miserable rainy and cold one (though not snow!) which was a good excuse to make this Bacon Beef and Beer Pot Pie. True winter comfort food. Rich and hearty and warms the soul. If you don’t fancy the pie part, just make the stew and serve with potatoes or egg noodles or Spätzle. The recipe makes enough to feed the entire extended family but it’s a great make-ahead meal and freezes well (either just the stew, or already assemble into the pot pie).
Ingredients
6 pounds or so, of boneless beef short ribs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, very finely chopped
1 pound breakfast bacon, in 1 inch pieces
2 red onions, diced to 1/2 inch dice
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 12 ounce bottles ale or lager (not a wheat beer nor a porter or stout, but a good beer)
3 cups chicken stock
1 “More than Gourmet” Demi-Glace Stock “puck” (optional)
1/2 pound carrots, cut to 1 inch pieces
1/2 pound frozen peas
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
i egg mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water for egg wash
Directions
On the morning of the day you’re cooking the ribs (or the night before), rub them generously with salt and pepper and the tablespoon of thyme. Wrap them up, or put them in a pan and cover them, and refrigerate them all day (or even overnight) until ready to cook.
Preheat your oven to 325F. On the stovetop, in a large Dutch oven, render your bacon. Don’t let it get too crispy as you will then have burned bits in your dish. Once rendered, remove the bacon and save for another purpose (or snack on them; you just needed the bacon fat) and the bacon fat (you’ll need this!). Return about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat to the pot and heat over medium-high heat, until foaming. Brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches so they aren’t crowded while browning, adding more bacon fat as needed. Transfer the browned ribs to a plate and set aside.
Turn the heat down a bit, add another tablespoon of bacon fat, and stir in the chopped vegetables (including the onion and garlic). Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly browned. Add the beer, scrape all the browned bits from the bottom into the ale, bring to a boil and add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Simmering gently, reduce the liquid by half. Then stir in the chicken stock and heat to boiling. Nestle the short ribs back into the pan, standing them on their sides, and surrounding them with the liquid and vegetables, but not fully covering them. Pour in any of the meat juices that accumulated on the plate as well. Put the cover of the Dutch oven on and put it into the oven to braise for 2 hours.
Remove the pot from the oven, uncover and transfer the short ribs to a baking sheet to cool. Once cooled, shred with two forks. It should be very tender meat at this point.
In a large pot with salted water, boil carrots until just tender. Drain and set aside, covered, to keep warm.
In the meantime, pour the remaining liquid from the Dutch oven through a colander to remove the spent vegetables, return to the work bowl and skim the fat off the top of the broth (or use a fat separator). Bring the juices to a boil, then simmer until thickened slightly. Add in the contents of the stock puck for an extra boost of flavor. Return the browned ribs and carrots and frozen peas to the sauce. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before moving on to making the pot pie. Note: if you just wanted stew, you can eat it at this point.
Fill two pie plates with stew. There should be plenty.
Preheat your oven to 400F. On a lightly floured counter, roll out your puff pastry dough to 1/4 inch thick, making sure that the “folds” are even and secure (where the frozen pastry was folded). Cover the filled pie dish (or dishes) with pastry sheet, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with a little bit of additional salt. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
