Texas-Style Beef Short Rib Chili
Yield
serves 6
RECIPE Ingredients
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- Boiling water
- 1 small can (7 oz.) chipotles in adobo
- 4 cups beef stock, divided use
- ½ package Hickory Smoked Bacon, cut into ½“ pieces
- Neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
- 2½ lbs Angus Beef Boneless Short Ribs, trimmed and cut into 2” chunks
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 12 ounces dark beer (we used a double chocolate stout)
- ¼ cup masa harina
- 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Recipe notes
In this chili recipe, beef short ribs braise in a rich combo of pureed chiles, dark beer, stock, bacon, and spices. Dark chocolate adds depth of flavor.
RECIPE Preparation
- Heat a skillet over medium-high flame; add the dried chiles and toast until lightly charred, about 3-5 minutes. Place toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water, let stand until softened, about 20 minutes; drain. To a blender, add drained chiles, chipotles in adobo, and 1 cup of beef stock. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon; cook until just crisp then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Add a little oil to the rendered bacon fat and heat over medium-high flame. Season short ribs with salt and pepper; sprinkle with flour, gently tossing to coat. Brown the meat on all sides, working in batches as to not crowd the pot. Remove browned meat using tongs or a slotted spoon, set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves; continue to cook until spices are very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in beer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, cook about 3 minutes more. Add browned meat and reserved bacon back to the pot. Stir in reserved chile puree and the remainder of the beef stock. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the short ribs are very tender and the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 2½ hours.
- Ladle 2 cups of the sauce into a bowl and whisk in the masa harina; stir this mixture back into the pot and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve with any combination of your favorite chili fixings, like avocado, chopped red onion, sliced jalapeño peppers, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, chopped fresh cilantro, etc.
