Short-Rib Beef Stew with Ale

Ingredients

• 12 oz a malty brown ale (we used Newcastle Brown ale)
• 8 servings pepper black freshly ground
• 4 pounds beef short ribs bone-in trimmed
• 14.5 oz canned tomatoes whole peeled chopped canned
• 2 large carrots 
• 0.5 cup flour 
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1.5 cups onion chopped
• 2 Tbsp paprika hot
• 2 pounds russet potatoes 
• 8 servings salt 
• 2 teaspoons paprika smoked
• 4 strips bacon thick-cut
• 1 pound turnips 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• whisk
• pot
• wooden spoon
• stove
• spatula
• slotted spoon
• dutch oven
• tongs

Directions

1. Place bacon strips in a large (5 to 6 quart), thick-bottomed Dutch oven. Set the heat to medium high and cook the bacon until much of the fat has been rendered.
2. Remove bacon to a paper-towel lined plate.
3. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon fat from pot. (Do not pour down the drain or you will clog your drain when the fat hardens as it cools.)2 Preheat oven to 300°F. While the bacon is cooking, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, hot paprika, smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Dredge the short ribs in the flour mixture.3
4. Add the short ribs to the pot with the bacon fat, taking care to not crowd the pot (work in batches if necessary). Brown on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. If you want to get good browning, do not stir the short ribs unless to turn. While the short ribs are browning, chop the bacon and set aside.4 Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the short ribs from the pot to a bowl.
5. Add the chopped onions to the pot.
6. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
7. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
8. Add the ale and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
9. Add tomatoes and their juices and reserved bacon. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Return short ribs to pot, cover, put in the preheated oven, and cook for two hours. (Alternatively, you can do the cooking on the stovetop, just lower the heat to the lowest setting and cover.)5 Peel potatoes, turnips (optional), and carrots, and cut into 1-in. pieces.
10. Add to short ribs, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender and meat pulls away easily from the bone, about 30-45 minutes.
11. Add salt and pepper to taste. 6 Spoon off excess fat (it helps if you have a fat separator). If you want, remove the bones before serving and cut any big pieces of meat into smaller chunks.