Chile Braised Short Ribs Recipes

CHILE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Adjust the rack to the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Add the chiles to a medium bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let steep for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle the short ribs generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just under smoking hot. Add the short ribs in batches, leaving some room between each of them so they sear evenly, and cook until well browned, about 7 minutes per side (14 to 15 minutes per batch). Remove the short ribs to a platter in a single layer (no stacking) and repeat with the second batch.
• Meanwhile, add the chile peppers with water, chicken stock, tomato paste, garlic, onions and a dash of salt to a blender, and mix until blended together.
• Once the second batch of meat is seared, remove and set aside. Add the hard cider to the Dutch oven and scrape the brown bits left from the meat off the bottom of the pot. Pour the onion mixture into the pot and turn the heat up to high. Add the balsamic and rosemary sprigs and boil together for 2 to 3 minutes. Return the short ribs and any juice that may have accumulated on the platter back into the pot. Cover tightly with a lid and braise in the oven until the ribs are tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Place the ribs on a platter covered with foil to keep warm. Put the Dutch oven on the stovetop over high heat and reduce the braising liquid until thick and saucy, 20 minutes. Add the ribs back to the pot before serving to coat with the reduced liquid. Place the ribs on plates and ladle the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish.

CHILE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Toast chiles in a dry large skillet over medium heat until slightly puffed and lightly darkened on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from skillet; let cool. Stem chiles and halve lengthwise; discard seeds. Place in a medium bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let chiles stand until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• Combine chiles, garlic, lemon zest and juice, oil, salt, coriander, and cumin in a blender or food processor; purée until marinade is smooth.
• Toss short ribs and onion with marinade in a shallow baking dish; cover dish and chill ribs overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer onion, short ribs, and marinade to a large heavy pot. Add broth. Bring to a boil on stove-top and cover pot. Transfer to oven and braise ribs for 2 hours.
• Add potatoes, carrots, and tomato paste (keep meat and vegetables submerged); cover and return to oven. Continue braising until meat is fork-tender and separates easily from the bone and vegetables are soft, 50-60 minutes longer.
• Transfer short ribs and vegetables to a large rimmed baking sheet. Cover baking sheet with foil. Strain cooking liquid into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, skimming fat from surface occasionally, until sauce is reduced to 4 cups, 8-10 minutes. DO AHEAD: Short ribs, vegetables, and sauce can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover sauce. Let sauce and ribs and vegetables stand at room temperature.
• Place covered baking sheet with ribs and vegetables in oven until reheated, about 15 minutes. Stir olives and parsley into sauce and rewarm, stirring occasionally, over medium heat.
• Divide short ribs and vegetables among plates and spoon sauce over.

CHILE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Season ribs with salt. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour, or chill, uncovered, up to 12 hours. If chilling, let sit at room temperature 1 hour before cooking.
• Meanwhile, place chiles and 5 cups hot water in a blender and let sit while you prep onion and garlic.
• Heat broiler. Broil onion and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet, undisturbed, until charred on top (don't worry if they get super dark), 8-10 minutes.
• Pop garlic out of their skins and place garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon in blender with chiles. Blend until smooth but still speckled with chiles; season purée lightly with salt. Set aside.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium heavy pot over medium-high. Working in 2 batches, cook ribs, turning occasionally and reducing heat if needed, until browned all over, 10-12 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Carefully pour off oil and wipe out pot. Pour remaining 1 Tbsp. oil into pot and place back over medium-high heat. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste begins to separate and stick to pot, about 3 minutes. Stir in chile purée. Return ribs to pot and bring liquid to a simmer. Partially cover pot and cook, reducing heat to low to maintain a very gentle simmer, turning ribs occasionally, and skimming any excess fat from surface, until meat is very tender, 3-3 1/2 hours. (If sauce gets thick before meat is done, add water as needed to thin out a bit.)
• Add squash to pot and push down so it's mostly submerged. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until squash is tender and liquid is thickened and saucy, 18-20 minutes.
• Serve ribs and squash, topped with yogurt and cilantro, with lime wedges.
• Do Ahead: Ribs (without toppings) can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

CITRUS AND CHILE BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours (ribs are even better if you can do this a day ahead).
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Working in batches, cook short ribs until evenly browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter; pour off pan drippings between batches.
• Wipe out any burned bits from pot, but leave the golden-brown pieces (doing this will keep the finished sauce from tasting bitter). Place onions, garlic, celery, carrots, tomato paste, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and 6 chiles in pot; season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, tomato paste is slightly darkened in color, and spices are fragrant, 10-12 minutes.
• Add oregano, wide strips of orange zest, 1 cup orange juice, and 6 cups water to pot, scraping up any browned bits; season with salt and pepper. Add ribs with any juices accumulated on the platter, making sure they're completely submerged. Cover pot and braise ribs in the oven until meat is tender and falling off the bone, 4-5 hours.
• Carefully transfer ribs to a platter. Strain braising liquid into a large bowl, then return to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half (it will be thickened but still saucy). Return short ribs to pot and turn to coat.
• To serve, drizzle short ribs with remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice and squeeze limes and crush remaining chile over. Top with cilantro and thin strips of orange zest.
• Do Ahead
• Short ribs can be braised 5 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill in strained braising liquid.

BRAISED SHORT RIBS IN PASILLA CHILE POZOLE

Steps:

• Place the flour with the coriander, cumin, garlic powder and ground mustard in a shallow dish, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Generously sprinkle the short ribs with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in the seasoned flour one by one, making sure to shake off any excess flour.
• In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil smokes, add the short ribs in batches. Brown the short ribs until a golden crust starts to form, about 5 minutes on each side. Once brown, reserve and continue until all the ribs are brown, adding more oil as needed. Set the ribs aside.
• While the short ribs are browning, heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the pasilla chiles and toast until they start to smoke, about 4 minutes. Remove the chiles and submerge in the hot water. Allow to steep until they become soft and pliable, about 10 minutes. Remove from the water and puree in a blender with 1/4 cup of the steeping water. Set aside the puree.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the carrots, garlic, onions and celery to the Dutch oven. Cook until the vegetables caramelize, about 15 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the red wine, and then add the tomatoes, beef broth, hominy and reserved pasilla chile puree. Bring the whole mixture to a simmer. Start adding all the browned short ribs back into the pan. Cover and cook until the short ribs barely start falling off the bone, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Season with salt, pepper, cilantro and parsley; garnish with a lime wedge and serve.

SHORT RIBS BRAISED IN COFFEE ANCHO CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Soak ancho chiles in boiling-hot water until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain in a colander set over a bowl.
• Taste soaking liquid: It will be a little bitter, but if unpleasantly so, discard it; otherwise, reserve for braising.
• Transfer ancho chiles to a blender and purée with onion, garlic, chipotles with sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Pat ribs dry and sprinkle with pepper and remaining 2 teaspoons salt.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown ribs in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch.
• Transfer as browned to a roasting pan just large enough to hold ribs in 1 layer.
• Carefully add chile purée to fat remaining in skillet (use caution, since it will splatter and steam) and cook over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes.
• Add reserved chile soaking liquid (or 1 1/2 cups water) and coffee and bring to a boil, then pour over ribs (liquid should come about halfway up sides of meat).
• Cover roasting pan tightly with foil and braise ribs in middle of oven until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Skim fat from pan juices and serve with ribs.
• Cooks' note: Ribs improve in flavor if braised 2 days ahead.
• Cool, uncovered, then chill, surface covered with parchment paper or wax paper and roasting pan covered with foil.
• Remove any solidified fat before reheating.

COFFEE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH ANCHO CHILE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle short ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add ribs to pot and cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to platter.
• Add onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeño to drippings in pot. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until onion is tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté uncovered 1 minute. Add brown sugar, ancho chile powder, oregano, and cumin; stir 15 seconds. Stir in coffee, tomatoes with juice, and tomato paste. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return ribs and any juices to pot; bring to boil.
• Cover and bake until meat is very tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Spoon fat from surface of sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm, covered, over medium heat before continuing.)
• Transfer ribs to platter. Spoon sauce over and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
• *Available in the spice section of most supermarkets and at Latin markets.

COFFEE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH ANCHO CHILE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Heat oil in heavy large pot (Dutch oven) over medium-high heat; sprinkle short ribs with salt and pepper; working in batches, add ribs to pot and cook until brown, about 4 minutes each side, transfer to platter.
• Add onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno to drippings in pot, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until onion is tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes; stir in garlic and saute uncovered 1 minute.
• Add brown sugar, ancho chile powder, oregano, and cumin; stir 15 seconds; stir in coffee, tomatoes with juice, and tomato paste, bring to a boil, scrapping up browned bits;Return ribs and any juices to pot; bring to boil.
• Cover and bake until meat is very tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes; spoon fat from surface of sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper, (can be prepared 1 day ahead, cool slightly, chill uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigrate, Rewarm, covered, over medium heat before continuing): Transfer ribs to platter, spoon sauce over and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

SHORT RIBS BRAISED IN ANCHO CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Soak ancho chiles in boiling-hot water until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain in a colander set over a bowl. Taste soaking liquid: It will be a little bitter, but if unpleasantly so, discard it; otherwise, reserve for braising. Transfer ancho chiles to a blender and purée with onion, garlic, chipotles with sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Pat ribs dry and sprinkle with pepper and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown ribs in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer as browned to a roasting pan just large enough to hold ribs in 1 layer.
• Carefully add chile purée to fat remaining in skillet (it will spatter and steam) and cook over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add reserved chile soaking liquid (or 1 1/2 cups water) and coffee and bring to a boil, then pour over ribs (liquid should reach about halfway up sides of meat).
• Cover roasting pan tightly with foil and braise ribs until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Skim fat from pan juices. Serve ribs with pan juices.