I found 2 great recipes: Tyler Florence's Ultimate Short Ribs on the Food Network ( I love his ultimate series!), and a fabulous one on Saveur Magazines blog that includes chocolate and coffee! Two of my favorite things. I had to try it. I decided to fuse them both together, but in order to cut the recipe in half I needed more short ribs, so back to the store I went. I now have about 3 lbs to work with.
I left out the wine Tyler's recipe, not because I wanted to but because I couldn't open the wine bottle. Very disappointed, but the ribs must go on tonight. I left out the bell pepper and jalapeno from the other and used a red onion.
After 3 hours of braising in the oven the end result: my studio apartment smelled like beef and I had some really tasty meat with a very thick sauce. I could really taste the chocolate and coffee. Yum. It really added something to the sauce and made for a very complex flavor. The meat was falling off the bone and they looked picture perfect. This is the first but not the last time I will make this and I will not forget the wine next time and use a sweet yellow onion, carrots and celery next.
Coffee and Chocolate Braised Short Ribs
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Coffee and Chocolate Braised Short Ribs
Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook Coffee and Chocolate Braised Short Ribs adapted from the Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook
• Olive oil or lard
• 5 lbs beef short ribs
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cups strong coffee
• 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes, with juice (or one 28 oz can)
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate (70% or higher cacao)
• Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
1. Remove the short ribs from their package and rinse them under cold water. Pat them dry.
Rich chocolate and coffee sauce makes these ribs shine
2. Season the short ribs liberally with salt and pepper. (Use more salt than you think you will need).
3. Heat the olive oil or lard in a cast iron pan or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
4. Place two or three of the short ribs in the pan. Be careful not to crowd the short ribs. You want to brown them, not steam them.
5. Brown the short ribs well on all sides. You want the outsides of meat just a tad under burnt.
6. Transfer the browned meat to a plate and continue to brown the rest of the meat. When done, remove all of the meat to the plate.
7. Reduce the heat to medium.
8. If you used a cast iron pan for the browning, heat more oil in a large oven safe covered casserole dish. If you’re using a Dutch oven, just keep on cookin’.
9. Add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions are translucent, approximately 5-10 minutes.
10. Next mix in the garlic and cook for another minute.
11. Stir in the brown sugar and spices and cook for 5 minutes longer.
12. Add the coffee, chopped tomatoes, and tomato paste and bring the whole mixture to a boil.
13. Return the short ribs to the pot and cover.
14. Braise in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hours.
15. Mix in the chocolate until melted.
16. Season with the cilantro and salt and pepper.
Bistro-Style Short Ribs
Ingredients
Short ribs:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 pounds short ribs, in 1 long piece or at least in pairs
- Kosher salt
and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 large tomato, quartered
- 3 ribs celery
- 1/2 head garlic, peeled
- 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups low-sodium, organic beef stock
- 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Preheat a cast iron grill or outdoor grill.
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and brown on all sides.
Place the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and tomato into a food processor and blend until you reach a consistent, smooth pulp.
Take a large Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Add a 3-count of extra-virgin olive oil and add the thyme to infuse the oil. Next add the vegetable pulp, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for about 10 minutes. Pour in the red wine and stock and bring it to a boil. Using tongs take the ribs and nestle them into the braising mix; the liquid should just about cover the meat. Place the lid loosely on top, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the meat is very tender, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
When the ribs are about finished, remove about 1 to 2 cups of liquid and strain into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the sauce until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
