Braised Beef Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions & Baharat

From inthekitchenwithkath.com

(Adapted from a recipe in Amanda Bevill’s and Julie Kramis Hearne’s World Spice at Home)

Serves 6

Baharat (makes 1/3 cup)

½ teaspoon whole cloves

1 tablespoon allspice berries

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoons coriander seed

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

½ teaspoon cardamom seed

1. Put all of the ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder and grind together. (I use a Krups coffee grinder. To clean the grinder, grind raw white rice or bread crumbs.)

Short ribs

½ cup flour (I used brown rice flour to make it wheat free)

2 tablespoons baharat

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 – 5 pounds beef short ribs

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 sweet onions, cut into 1/2–inch slices

1 cup beef broth

½ cup ketchup

½ cup beer

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon dry mustard

6 medium carrots, peeled and cut at an angle into 2-inch pieces

1 dried bay leaf

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ and position a rack in the middle of the oven.

2. Mix the flour, baharat, salt and pepper together. Dredge the short ribs in the flour, shaking off any excess.

3. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil.

4. Brown the ribs in batches (you don’t want to crowd the pan) for 3–4 minutes on each side.

5. Remove the ribs from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until they are softened.

6. Put the onions and the ribs in a large Dutch oven. Stir in the broth, ketchup, beer, brown sugar, vinegar, and mustard.

7. Cover the pot and braise in the preheated oven for 1½ hours.

8. Add the carrots and bay leaf to the pot. Cover, and put the pot back in the oven to braise for another hour, or until the meat is fork-tender.

9. Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.