Belgian Short Ribs Carbonnade

Serves: 4
1 large whole cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 whole star anise
4 whole allspice berries
5 whole black peppercorns
3 tablespoon butter, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 to 4½ lbs. beef short ribs (8)
1 to 1½ large onions, sliced (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 12-ounce bottles brown ale
1 12-ounce bottle cream stout
2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
16 packaged pitted prunes
⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh Italian parsley
4 cups cooked wide egg noodles

Cheesecloth, spice sock o bag

1. Wrap cinnamon stick, bay leaves, star anise, allspice and peppercorns in piece of cheesecloth or a spice sock or bag. Tie to secure; set aside.
2. ​ Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until butter starts to brown.
3. Sprinkle short ribs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Working in batches if necessary, add short ribs to pot and cook until deep brown on all sides, turning occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer ribs to large bowl.
4. ​Add onion to same pot and sauté over medium-high heat until transparent, about 5 minutes.
5. Add spice packet and Worcestershire sauce; stir 1 minute.
6. ​Add the ale, stout, broth, vinegar and brown sugar, stirring well and bring to a boil. Immediately lower to a simmer.
7. In a small bowl, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour until you create a roux. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the hot simmering liquid ale/stout/broth. Continue to whisk until fully incorporated.
8. ​Add the roux to the simmering pot and continue to whisk until all are one.
9. Add the mustard and brown sugar and blend it into the mixture well. Then add the prunes.
10. ​Bring all back to a simmer. Cover and let continue to cook over low heat for about 2½ hours with an occasional stir.
11. When the ribs are so tender that they could fall away from the bones, remove the spice packet and discard. Remove the ribs from the stew to a holding bowl.
12. ​Set a large sieve over a large bowl and strain the stew broth. Reserve the solids.
13. Extract cooking liquids from the fat (see note). Return the liquids to the same pot and reduce, at a high simmer, to about 4 cups, approximately 15 minutes.
14. ​Return the short ribs to the pot with the reserved solids.
15. Adjust the seasonings to taste and reheat for about 10 minutes.
16. ​Place the warm wide ribbon noodles in a large serving bowl. Add the short ribs, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

​NOTE: There are a multitude of fat separators on the market. The first I found to be simple, easy and effective to use is the Swing-Away. I see now that there are others that operate on the same principle.