Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 2 pounds total)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic (2 chopped, 2 smashed)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 12-ounce bottle amber beer
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound baby new potatoes
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 4 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Put the rib racks on a work surface bone-side up. Slip a knife between the bone and membrane, then pull off the membrane. Cut each rack of ribs in half; season evenly with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the ribs, bone-side up, and sear until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium, add the celery, carrots and onion and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and tomato paste; cook 2 minutes. Add the beer and bay leaf, bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Return the ribs to the pot, add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Trim a piece of parchment paper to fit the pot, then place directly on top of the ribs and cover with a lid. Transfer to the oven and braise 1 hour, then remove the lid and parchment. Continue braising until the ribs are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour more.
Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 15 minutes; drain.
Remove the rib racks from the pot; let cool slightly, then cut into the ribs. Strain the cooking liquid, discarding the solids; skim off some fat. Return the liquid to the pot.
Add the smashed garlic and tomato to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the clams, cover and cook until some just open, 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and ribs, cover and cook until all the clams open, 10 to 15 more minutes (discard any unopened clams). Stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Serve with lemon wedges.
Photograph by Con Poulos

Photo: Beer-Braised Ribs With Clams Recipe
















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By vivacomida
Sacramento
on November 11, 2012
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This recipe is great. While I would normally BBQ my ribs outdoors, this indoor recipe was so savory and the meat just melted off the rib. I used a darker Ale for richer and deeper flavor during braising. I braised extra ribs for later snacking, but this left a smaller amount of liquid for the recipe. Added additional stock after removing ribs for dissection and left veggies from braising portion of recipe ( liked the texture and flavor. We all loved this hearty recipe and have already been asked to make it again. All you will need is a spoon!
By jul61502_10585248
Auburn, MA
on August 17, 2012
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We really enjoyed this recipe tonight. I really wish we had some crusty bread on hand to soak up the broth (we used spoons instead!. I used 2/1 ratio of stock/water because it's what I had on hand. The beer gave the ribs such wonderful flavor. They only had white potatoes at my local fish stand (so I cubed them and cooked them per directions - I wish I had boiled them a little longer in the broth!. Hint of tomato - not overpowering. It was really a great version of a surf and turf stew. I braised extra ribs (so I exactly doubled the braising ingredients to have on hand during the week w/ some bbq sauce finished on the grill (if they can keep it together - they're so tender!. This one's a keeper!!
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