These short ribs cooked slowly with guajillos break down into the perfect braised meat: rich, a tad spicy and appropriately messy—a true sign of greatness. This dish can be on the spicy side, so if you’re really sensitive to heat, cut back a little on the chiles.
You can ask your butcher to bone the ribs for you, or you can just cook them with the bone in and then bone them before shredding the meat. You’ll need 5 pounds of bone-in short ribs to yield the required 3 pounds of meat.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 16 tacos, 4 to 6 servings
- 8 stemmed and seeded guajillo chiles
- 3 stemmed and seeded dried chipotle chiles
- 2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
- 1 large, coarsely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves, coarsely chopped garlic
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle Negra Modelo or other dark Mexican beer
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ tablespoons dried Mexican oregano
- 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
- ½ cup water
- Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
- Chopped white onion, chopped fresh cilantro, salsa of choice and lime wedges, for serving
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Working in 2 batches if necessary to avoid crowding, lightly toast all of the chiles in a dry, heavy skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds on each side, until fragrant but not blackened. Set them aside on a plate.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, working in batches to avoid crowding, add the meat and sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until the pieces have formed a uniformly browned crust. Add more oil to the pot as needed to prevent scorching. As the pieces are ready, set them aside on a plate.
- Add the onion to the same same pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour in the beer, add the toasted chiles and turn down the heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the chiles have softened and are pliable. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and reserve the pot. Add the cumin, pepper, oregano, salt and water to the blender and blend the mixture on high speed until smooth and the consistency of cream, adding more water if needed to thin the mixture a bit.
- Return the seared meat to the pot and pour in the chile mixture. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
- Remove from the oven and, using tongs or a couple of forks, shred the meat in the pot. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed. Serve with the tortillas, onion, cilantro, salsa and lime.
About this recipe
Shared by Tacolicious, from their cookbook Tacolicious: Festive Recipes for Tacos, Snacks, Cocktails, and More (Ten Speed Press) by Sara Deseran.
