What's Cooking: Porter Braised Baby Back Ribs

Cooking with beer is one of life's great pleasures. Ok, maybe not as great as actually drinking beer, but it is another way to bring beer into your life and enjoy the special flavors that only beer can provide.

The beer for this dish was Black Martin Porter from Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego, CA. I've never tasted this beer, but I'm sure it will come up in the future. I got it on my last trip to the City Beer Store. Four bucks for a 650ml (22oz) bottle.

Since this is my first cooking post, I'll provide my warning here: I don't measure much when I'm cooking. Especially with spices, I tend to grab whatever strikes my fancy. You'll see measures like "a little bit" or "lots" much more often than 1 T or 2 Cups. The only exception is pie crust - I measure very carefully for pie crust (not the filling, mind you - just the crust).

Even for me, however, this dish took ridiculously little measuring. Put you ribs into a braising pan and pour in a bottle of porter. Place the covered braising pan into a 325 degree oven for about 6 hours. Finish the ribs on the grill with your choice of barbecue sauce and serve. Can it really be that simple?

Yes it can. Ok, the grilling part wasn't all that simple due to the fact that the braised ribs were falling-off-the-bone tender. I had to slide my tongs lengthwise under the ribs to turn them and they still fell apart.

How did they taste, already? I've never tasted the Black Marlin Porter and I neglected one of the cardinal rules of cooking with beer: cook with only half your beer so that you can enjoy the other half while the food is cooking. The ribs, however, were delicious. The porter provided a nice deep dark flavor and the hops carried through at the finish. The smokiness of the porter is a good match to the ribs and the intensity of the flavors stand up well during the long braising period.

Eat up!