Shredded Mexican-Style Short Ribs

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican, Tex/Mex

Keyword Key ingredient, Mexican style shredded beef ribs

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 2 15

Author David of Sunset & Sewanee

3 lbs boneless short ribs (if using bone-in short ribs, separate each rib to season) (Alternatives-Chuck Roast or Eye of Round)

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

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.

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.

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.

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.