Chef's Notes
Braised short ribs with Ancho Chilies are tender, melt in your mouth meaty morsels.
Like many braised dishes, this dish is better if made the day before (or even two days before). This will allow more time for the flavors to infuse into each other. By refrigerating it overnight, most of the fat will rise to the surface, so it can easily be removed (making the dish that much healthier). The heat in the dish also mellows out quite a bit as the ribs sit overnight.
You will likely have to go to your butcher shop or meat specialty store to buy these ribs. See the drill down attached to the recipe for more information on how to buy them.
Browning the Ribs
Preheat oven to 350° F (175°C). Note: For really tender meat, these ribs can be cooked at 200°F. See the lessons on “Braising” and “Combination Cooking Fundamentals” (on the Related Videos tab) for more information.
Soak the ancho chiles in boiling hot water for 20 minutes. Drain. Set aside.
Season the ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sear the ribs in batches, if necessary. Brown the ribs on all sides. Transfer the ribs to a plate.
Step 1: Browning the Ribs
- 4 whole dried ancho chilis
- 6 lb beef short ribs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Cooking the Ribs
First, roughly chop the onion and place into a food processor along with the garlic, ancho chiles, chipotle peppers, chipotle sauce, maple syrup, lime juice and the seasonings and pulse until fully blended.
Using the same dutch oven or fry pan that you browned the ribs in, cook the chili puree over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the coffee and about 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add the ribs back into the pot being sure the liquid comes about halfway up the sides of the ribs (add more water if necessary).
Cover the Dutch oven and braise on the middle rack of the oven, turning at at least once or twice during cooking. Cook for 2 to 3 hours, or until fork tender. The time will depend on the size of the ribs and the temperature you cooked them at.
Step 2: Cooking the Ribs
- 1 medium onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp chipotle pepper sauce (from can)
- 6 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee (strong)
- 2 1/2 cups water
Finishing the Ribs
After about an hour or so, turn the ribs over in the sauce. The meat should be very tender and pull apart easily when done. Once done, let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Better yet, make the ribs the day before. See the “Related Videos” tab for more information.