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5.0 from 141 votes

Dark Chocolate and Stout Braised Ribs Recipe

These braised pork ribs are as good as it gets. They're slow-cooked in a ridiculously delicious sauce made with dark beer and chocolate that, by the time the ribs have finished cooking, becomes the best gravy you'll ever try.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
5 hrs
Total Time
5 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 796 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: North American

Ingredients

  • 2 racks pork side ribs
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 medium onion roughly chopped
  • 1 medium carrot roughly chopped
  • 1 medium celery stalk roughly chopped
  • 1 head garlic peeled and cloves smashed with the side of your knife
  • 1 tablespoon chipotles in adobo sauce
  • 22 ounce (650ml) bottle of chocolate or espresso beer gluten-free if needed
  • ½ cup loosely packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce see notes
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder or a shot of espresso
  • 1 ½ ounces chopped dark chocolate about 2 generous tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Put the oven rack on the top shelf and preheat your oven to broil. Cut the racks into individual ribs and salt them on the meat side. Put them into a baking sheet and broil for 10-12 minutes, until they are golden. Remove them from the oven and turn the temperature down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Heat the oil in a large braising pot on medium-high heat then add the onion. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes then add the carrot and celery. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are well-browned, about 7-8 minutes. Turn the heat down if needed. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  3. Transfer the cooked veggies to your blender and add 2 cups of water, and the chipotles in adobo sauce. Blend on high until smooth then pour back into the braising pot. Add another ½ cup of water to your blender to clean it out then add this to the pot, too.
  4. Add the beer, brown sugar, fish sauce, espresso powder, and chocolate to the pot and heat the sauce until the chocolate melts. Remove the pot from the heat.
  5. Add the ribs to the pot, stacking them on end as best as you can. Put the lid on the pot and put it into your oven to braise for 4-5 hours.
  6. The ribs can easily be served directly from the pot. But if you'd like to thicken the sauce a little, remove the ribs from the pot, mix a little water into the cornstarch and add this to the pot. Stir the pot over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

  • You won't taste the fish sauce in this recipe, but it does make this dish taste richer. You can also use ¼ cup of homemade prawn stock instead. 
  • You won't taste the fish sauce in this recipe, but it does make this dish taste richer. You can also use ¼ cup of homemade prawn stock instead. 
  • We used to sear the ribs in the pot, then cook the vegetables in the same pot afterward, scraping all the dark fond on the bottom of the pot into the sauce. We now sear the ribs in the oven as it is a lot less messy (no oil splattering everywhere and smoke filling your house) and saves prep time as you can cook the vegetables at the same time. The sauce is ever so slightly tastier when the ribs are seared in the pot. But if the difference is minimal and we think that trade-off for a cleaner kitchen and more time is worth it. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 serving = ⅛ of the recipe Calories 796kcal (40%) Carbohydrates 23g (8%) Protein 37g (74%) Fat 60g (92%) Saturated Fat 19g (95%) Polyunsaturated Fat 10g Monounsaturated Fat 23g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 182mg (61%) Sodium 1230mg (51%) Potassium 650mg (19%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 16g (32%) Vitamin A 1282IU (26%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 63mg (6%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 796

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 serving = ⅛ of the recipe
Calories 796kcal 40%
Carbohydrates 23g 8%
Protein 37g 74%
Fat 60g 92%
Saturated Fat 19g 95%
Polyunsaturated Fat 10g 59%
Monounsaturated Fat 23g 115%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 182mg 61%
Sodium 1230mg 51%
Potassium 650mg 14%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 16g 32%
Vitamin A 1282IU 26%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 63mg 6%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.