Short Rib Black Bean Chili

Chili has a lovely little place in my heart that has not been well-represented on The Gourmet Gourmand. (My deepest apologies).  I discovered this lovely Short Rib Black Bean Chili recipe on The Beeroness’ lovely blog and I’ve been just itching to give it a go.

And boy was I blown away by the great flavors in this recipe.Do you guys cook with short ribs?  Because if you don’t, you definitely should start.  I confess that I haven’t done a lot of cooking with this cut of meat, but it holds up fantastically to a slow- cooked method resulting in buttery- tender tendrils of beef.

(And I can never say no to slow-cooking any form of meat on the bone.  Hello, extra flavor!)

The flavors in this chili are absolutely fantastic, however might require a trip to the Mexican market (unless you are lucky enough to dried Ancho chiles in your local grocery store).  Ancho chiles are dried poblano chiles.  If you need to substitute I’ve read that you can go with dried New Mexico chiles, but that these might be a little spicier, so use your judgment.  Anchos are relatively mild in the chile world, so they add a lovely depth of flavor without significant heat.Which is perfect for my sensitive tongue. (I was born and raised in the Midwest, what can I say?)

This dish has an earthy and smoky flavor profile.

The original recipe calls for coffee stout beer to flavor the dish, but since my blog is not a beer-themed blog/ I didn’t have any coffee stout regularly available, I substituted regular coffee.  This punches up the flavor, but once the chili is slow-cooked, you can’t distinguish the coffee flavor from the rest of the dish.  It blends beautifully while adding a great earthy undertone.
So for all you fiends of slow-cooked fall-off-the-bone deliciously meaty stews, this will be your new favorite dish.  Once you slow-cook this bad-boy in the oven for 3 hours, pull out the bones and shred the beef until it is all mixed together with the rest of the chili.

Add a little cilantro, lime, and queso fresco and you have the perfect January comfort food dish.
Hope everyone is staying warm!

Short Rib Black Bean Chili

Adapted from The Beeroness

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Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2.5 lbs beef short ribs on the bone
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 medium onions diced
• 6 oz canned tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3 dried ancho chili pods remove stem and seeds, diced
• 2 chipotle chilies in adobo diced
• 12 oz freshly brewed coffee
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken or beef stock
• 2 14 oz cans black beans drained and rinsed
• For garnishing
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Season short ribs with salt and pepper.
• In a large dutch oven or oven-safe non-reactive stockpot bring the olive oil to high heat. When oil comes to temperature, add short ribs, searing on each side, until browned. This will take about 7-10 minutes.
• Remove meat from the pan and reduce heat to medium-low.
• Add onions and cook until they begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a blender combine the coffee, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, dried ancho chilies and chipotle chilies. Puree mixture until smooth.
• Pour mixture into the pot with the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
• Next add the chicken (or beef) stock and the black beans.
• Stir until combined.
• Return the beef short ribs to the pot and ensure they are submerged by the liquid.
• Cover and cook in the oven for about 3 hours, or until ribs are fork-tender. Check periodically to make sure it's not getting too dry- if it is, add extra stock or water.
• Before serving, shred the meat with 2 forks, and remove the bones and any large pieces of fat.
• Taste and add additional salt as necessary.
• Serve chili topped with cilantro and queso fresco or cotija cheese.