Short rib chilli con carne with beer pickled onions
Short ribs make a really beautiful chilli con carne - the tender meat falls off the bone, melting and combining with the smoky dried chillies, creamy beans and rich, deeply savoury sauce. The beer pickled onions add pops of flavour and the feta makes a great substitute for queso fresco, a fresh cheese that is used to garnish tacos and stewed spicy dishes like this one. Serve with rice, a jacket potato or tortilla chips.
Ingredients
Chilli
- 100ml of strong coffee
- 2 dried morita chillies
- 1 cascabel chilli
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 2 dashes of vegetable oil
- 1kg beef short rib , about 4 ribs
- 1 onion , diced
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp of dried oregano
- 350ml of beef stock, plus 250ml for topping up if needed
- 400g of tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 cinnamon stick
- salt to season
- freshly ground black pepper to season
- 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tin of white kidney beans, drained
- 1 tbsp of vinegar
- 30g of 70% dark chocolate
- 2 tbsp of pickled jalapeños , chopped
- 4 lime wedges
- feta to taste
Beer pickled onions
- 250ml of bitter beer
- 125ml of white wine vinegar
- 50g of caster sugar
- 2 allspice berries
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 1 onion , sliced
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas mark 3
Combine the coffee and dried chillies in a bowl, then weigh the chillies down with something like a small plate to keep them submerged
- 100ml of strong coffee
- 2 dried morita chillies
- 1 cascabel chilli
Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan until they smell fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Grind the toasted seeds to a powder in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp of cumin seeds
Heat a dash of oil in a large pan until very hot, then add the short ribs. Brown the short ribs on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside
- 2 dashes of vegetable oil
- 1kg beef short rib , about 4 ribs
Add another dash of oil to the same pan if necessary, and cook the onion until soft, around 10-15 minutes. While the onions cook, use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan
- 1 onion , diced
Drain the chillies, reserving the coffee. Remove the chillies’ stems and seeds before adding them to the pan with the garlic, dried oregano and ground cumin and coriander. Cook out for a minute or so, stirring, until the garlic has softened and the spices are fragrant
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp of dried oregano
Return the short ribs to the pan, then add the reserved coffee, stock, tomatoes, cinnamon stick and some salt and pepper and mix everything together
- 350ml of beef stock, plus 250ml for topping up if needed
- 400g of tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 cinnamon stick
- salt to season
- freshly ground black pepper to season
Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours
Make the beer pickled onions by combining all the ingredients except the onion in a small pan and heating gently until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the onion, then remove from the heat and set aside, covered
- 250ml of bitter beer
- 125ml of white wine vinegar
- 50g of caster sugar
- 2 allspice berries
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 1 onion , sliced
Take the short ribs out of the chilli and shred the meat off the bones. Put the meat back into the chilli
Add the Worcestershire sauce, beans, vinegar, chocolate and chopped jalapeños to the chilli. If the liquid level is looking low, add the remaining 250ml stock. Cook for a further hour
- 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tin of white kidney beans, drained
- 1 tbsp of vinegar
- 30g of 70% dark chocolate
- 2 tbsp of pickled jalapeños , chopped
Garnish the chilli with the lime wedges, feta and beer pickled onions, then serve with rice, a jacket potato or tortilla chips
- 4 lime wedges
- feta to taste
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Short rib chilli con carne with beer pickled onions
