Maximizing the Flavors of Short Ribs
This recipe maximizes the texture and flavor of the beef used in many Mexican and Southwestern dishes. When properly cooked, beef short ribs are one of the most tender cuts of meat. The basis of this dish is combining fresh-ground Mexican spices with slowly cooking the short ribs until the meat falls apart. While you can use less expensive cuts of beef (chuck roast or eye of round) and get similar results, the beef short ribs are densely flavorful and delicious. You can use boneless short rib meat as I did in this example, but the bone-in beef short rib is just as tasty and is braised like the boneless variety. Cooking low and slow with the short rib bone will enhance the final flavor. Once cooked, the meat can be served on its own or used to make exceptional burritos, tacos, or enchiladas. I recently did this very thing for my wife’s book club on Cinco de Mayo.
The Chiles
Store-bought ground chile powder may be used instead of grinding your own chiles; however, if you are looking to maximize flavor, roasting and grinding your own chiles gives you more control. I prefer to use complementary chile varieties, which offer deeper taste profiles. Many of the spice companies I recommend allow you to purchase small amounts (1 oz.) of each type of chile, so you don’t have to buy more than you need.
In this recipe, I’m using a lesser-known chile, the morita. Morita chiles are smoked, mature red jalapenos. They are similar to chipotles, but not smoked as hard, and retain a fruitier flavor. Morita chiles are more traditional in Mexico City than chipotles are here in the United States. An additional (optional) flavor to add to the beef short rib spice mix is instant espresso powder (which is more Southwestern Cuisine than traditional Mexican). The small amount of espresso powder adds a deep earthiness to the final product, but the recipe is still delicious without it.
The finished product is intensely flavorful and makes for a memorable dish, no matter how you use it. It’s fantastic in tacos, tamales, burritos, and enchiladas. It would also be spectacular on nachos or quesadillas, or as a meaty ingredient in your next chile con queso.
Shredded Mexican-style short Ribs make super delicious tacos.
Stem and seed the chile.
Roast the chile over medium-high heat until slightly charred and very fragrant.
After roasting the chile, cut it into smaller bits for the spice grinder (remove stems).
With a fine-mesh strainer, sieve the chile powder to remove any large pieces that wouldn’t grind.
Pure, freshly ground Ancho chile powder.
Measure out all of the spices.
Thoroughly coat the beef short ribs and marinate in the refrigerator, ideally overnight. If you are in a rush, they can be used straight away.
Add the seasoned and marinated beef to a slow cooker or heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Top with sliced onion, garlic, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Place a tight-fitting lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or in a Dutch oven, cook on low for around 2 1/2 hours, until the beef short rib is fork-tender.
If you are using the stop-top method with a Dutch oven, check the moisture after 1 hour and continue to check throughout cooking. If more liquid is needed, add orange juice or water. The meat is ready when you can easily break it apart with a fork or tongs.
This Mexican-style shredded beef short rib is loaded with flavor and is delicious in any application.
Wine pairings: Old Vine Malbec 2017, Mendoza, Argentina, Cotes du Rhone, 2017, Southern Rhone, France
Shredded Mexican-Style Short Ribs
Ingredients
Beef
- 3 lbs boneless short ribs (if using bone-in short ribs, separate each rib to season) (Alternatives-Chuck Roast or Eye of Round)
Marinade
- 2 tbsp ancho chile, ground (Ground pasilla chile is a good substitute)
- 1 tbsp morita chile, ground (Alternate chipotle, ground)
- 2 tbsp oregano, dried (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 2 tsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1 tsp cumin, roasted and freshly ground (Alternatively, you can use ground cumin)
- 1/4 tsp espresso instant powder (optional)
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp course ground black pepper
- 2 clove minced garlic
- 1 whole onion, peeled and julienned
- 1 whole orange, juiced
- 1/2 whole lime, juiced
Instructions
Preparing the Seasonings
- Prepare the chiles by removing the stems and seeds. Roast the chiles in a dry, heavy-bottomed pan, like an iron skillet, over medium-high heat.
- Once the chiles are roasted and cooled, briefly cut or tear them into smaller pieces and process them in a spice grinder. Working in batches, sieve the chiles through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any pieces that weren't completely ground.
- Roast and grind the cumin seeds. This will extract the full flavor from the cumin. Sieve the cumin seeds as you did the chiles, and discard anything that didn't get ground. (Alternatively, use pre-ground cumin to save time.)
- Once all of the chiles/cumin have been ground, add the dry spices (ancho, morita, oregano, cocoa powder, cumin, espresso powder [optional], cinnamon, sea salt, and coarse black pepper) to a bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.
Seasoning the Beef
- Rub the short rib meat thoroughly with the spice mixture to coat evenly. Cover and marinate the meat in the spices overnight. If you don't have time to marinate, you can still use the meat right away; the flavors are just stronger if marinated.
Cooking
- Using a slow cooker, add the seasoned beef short ribs to the container and top with the sliced onion, minced garlic, and fresh orange juice. Place the lid on the container and slow-cook the meat according to your slow cooker's directions (usually on low for about 6-8 hours, or until fork-tender).Alternatively, you can place the meat in a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid over low heat, which will cook it much faster (in about 2 hours, until tender).
- Once the meat is fork-tender, strain it through a colander set over another pot to reserve the sauce. If the sauce is very liquid, you can reduce it and then add it back into the shredded meat. Or place the sauce in the fridge for a couple of hours to solidify the fat, then remove it from the sauce once it has congealed. Then add the sauce back to the meat.
Using the Prepared Beef
- Now that the meat is fork-tender and the sauce has been trimmed of any excess fat, the Mexican-style beef short rib is ready to be used however you wish. The meat can be frozen and will keep well for several months. When I make this, I will double or triple the amount so I can have it ready whenever I need it to create a variety of Mexican-style dishes.
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