A wonderful, hearty Super Bowl Sunday or cold weather meal. This could be made vegetarian by making without the short ribs. I used the ribs but used Smart Ground to replace the ground beef and used the shredded beef on top. I loved the short ribs in the recipe but the chili itself was really good also. Homemade cornbread on the side. Thanks to my friend Scott for the recipe from the blog sharedappetite.com.
INGREDIENTS
For the Beer-Braised Short Ribs
- 3 pounds short ribs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 (12 ounce) bottles of light beer (I used blue moon because we had some)
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- Sea Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
For the Chili
- 3 poblano peppers
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more to drizzle over poblano peppers
- 3 red bell peppers, diced
- 3 medium onions, diced
- 2 jalapeños, seeds removed, finely chopped (optional)
- 8 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef (or Smart Ground)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon ancho chile powder*
- ½ tablespoon pasilla chile powder*
- 1 teaspoon arbol chile powder*
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer
- 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 3 (15 ounce) cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 (15.5 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt
- *if you don’t have all those chile powders, just substitute 1 tablespoon of regular chile powder
- Shredded cheese for topping the chili
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Beer-Braised Short Ribs
- Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel to ensure a good sear. Sprinkle short ribs generously on all sides with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat canola oil in a dutch oven (or another pan with a lid that is deep enough to contain the short ribs and braising liquid), over just a little higher than medium heat. When oil is hot, add the short ribs and sear them on all sides until they create a deep golden-brown crust, about 5 minutes per side.
- Remove seared short ribs from pot and add onion. Season with Kosher salt and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add beer and stir, loosening up any brown bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Add oregano and bay leaves, and return short ribs to the pan. Make sure the short ribs are almost completely submerged by the beer.
- Bring pot to a boil, then turn down heat to maintain a simmer. Cover with lid and simmer for 2-3 hours (I used a crockpot set for 4 hours), until the meat is fork tender and slides easily off the bone. Remove short ribs from pan and let cool, and then shred the meat with your fingers, removing as much fat as possible.
For the Chili
- While the short ribs are braising, begin the chili. Turn on your oven broiler to low. Place poblano peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle poblanos with a little canola oil and season with Kosher salt. Place baking sheet on top rack in your oven and let peppers broil, about 7 minutes per side, turning with tongs. You want them to be blistered and browned/blackened all over. Remove from oven and place in bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes, which will loosen the skins from the peppers. Remove skin and seeds from peppers, and chop into ½” pieces.
- While poblanos are roasting, heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once hot, add red bell peppers, onions, and jalapeños, and season generously with Kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, approximately 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ground beef, stirring and breaking it down into bite-sized pieces as it cooks. Season with Kosher salt.
- Once the ground beef is browned, add in all the spices (garlic powder, onion powder, chile powders, cocoa powder, oregano, sugar, black pepper, and cumin), stir and cook for about 1 minute. Add beer, chicken stock, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and beans. Stir and season with Kosher salt. Bring chili to almost a boil, then turn down heat to maintain a simmer and let cook for as long as possible, at least 3 hours. (Add in the diced roasted poblano peppers and shredded braised short rib meat once they are done cooking.) I added the shredded short ribs to the bowl as a topping and sprinkled with shredded cheese.
- Chili always tastes better the second day. You can refrigerate for a few days or freeze for several months. Serve with cornbread.
Something From the Ovens 