Mexican Short Ribs

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If I was more organized one thing I would ensure is that I always have a lovely batch of Mexican Short Ribs in my fridge / freezer. This beautifully rich and flavorful braised meat is so delicious and extremely versatile. It can form the base for so many beautiful, easy to prepare dishes such as burritos, empanadas, tacos, nachos and even a lovely topping for a salad.

These Braised Short Ribs are packed full of flavor and spice with the classic Mexican combination of Paprika, Cumin, Coriander and of course lots of Chilis. The secret to this beautiful dish is getting your hands on some good quality short ribs and some lovely chipotle chilis. The Chilis can either be fresh or canned, both serve this dish well and add different overall flavor profiles, the canned being slightly richer

Why does braised meat taste better the next day?

There is also something magical about the taste of beautifully slow cooked meat the day after it’s cooked. I don’t know what it is and I’m sure there is some scientific reasoning behind it but all I know is eating this dish the day after it’s cooked is even tastier! So, if you have the time and are a super organized planner, try cooking these ribs 1-2 days before you plan on eating them and you’ll be rewarded with an even more delicious result! The dish provides quite a high yield so you’ll have plenty of leftovers to freeze for later use

This is such an Easy Recipe. It takes a long time but requires very little work!

Our Mexican Short Ribs Recipe is the perfect dish to cook up on a lazy Sunday. The cooking time is 6 hours, so you’ll need to be prepared and start cooking pretty early on in the day to ensure you’re eating at a reasonable time! The good news however is, it requires just 15 minutes maximum of prep work. The rest of the time is just the meat tenderizing in the pot

This type of slow cooking is a favorite of ours. Not only does it require very little work which allows you to get along with your day. But, it also fills your house with the most wonderful aromas. So you can either spend the afternoon being productive. Or, like us, you can grab a bottle of wine and laze around smelling those delicious smells!

How to make Mexican Short Ribs

This is a slow braising dish, which means good news and bad news. The good news is there is very little work involved in making the dish. You simply sear off the Beef in a hot pan, so it has browned on each side. Set the beef aside and then add the Vegetables and braising liquid. Once that’s all cooked together into a lovely broth, the Beef goes back in. Put on a lid and that’s all of the hard work done!

The bad news however if you’ll need to wait 5 hours at this point before the dish is ready. Braising meat is always a lengthy process, but you do need to allow this time for the Short Ribs to properly cook. What happens during these 5 hours in the pot is the braising liquid will slowly begin to break down the short ribs. This is a tough cut of meat, so this is one of the only ways to prepare Short Ribs to get them super tender

After 5 hours in the braising liquid, the Short Ribs will be ridiculously tender. I mean, pull apart with a fork level of tenderness. The flavor that the Short Ribs have absorbed during the braising time is nothing short of phenomenal too

All these wonderful flavors of Chipotle, Paprika, Garlic, Tomatoes, Beef Broth and Red Wine get absorbed into the Beef. Naturally, Beef Short Ribs are packed full of flavor anyway. So, by braising them in such a flavored liquid, the taste you’re able to infuse into your Mexican Short Ribs is outstanding

Continue to reduce the Braising Liquid to make the sauce for the Mexican Short Ribs

Once your Beef is cooked you want to remove it from the pot and set it aside. The liquid in the pot will still be quite runny at this point. This is because it has been cooked with the lid on to this point so minimal amount of water has been able to evaporate out of the mixture

To achieve a thicker, reduced sauce the next step in the cooking process is to simply continue to cook the pot filled with the braising liquid. Only this time, remove the Lid from the Pot. Therefore, all the steam from the Pot will evaporate. Less steam / moisture means two things. A thicker consistency in the sauce, and a more concentrated flavor

Depending on how thick and how concentrated you want your sauce to be will determine how long to continue cooking it. Personally, I like quite a rich tasting sauce, so I’ll crank the heat to medium and cook it for about 35 – 40 minutes more, stirring occasionally

Once the liquid has reduced to your desired consistency and flavor you can add the Beef Short Ribs back into the Pot. Give them a good coating and they can now be served. You can shred the Short Ribs up or leave them whole when served. Either way, they taste and look amazing

Mexican Short Ribs Recipe

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs. Beef Short Rib
• ½ cup Chipotle Chilis, chopped
• 2 tbsp. Smoked Paprika
• 2 tbsp. Cumin
• 2 tbsp. Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 tbsp. Salt
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Red Onion, chopped
• 1 can Crushed Tomatoes (14 oz.)
• 2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Red Wine
• 2 cups of Beef Stock (recipe here)
• Olive Oil
  
  

Instructions

1. Combine the Beef Short Ribs, Chipotle Chilis, Paprika, Cumin, Coriander Powder, Chili Powder, Lemon Juice, Salt, and Garlic with a splash of Olive Oil into a large bowl. Mix thoroughly then place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. You could also leave overnight to get more flavor into those Ribs
2. Once at room temperature, place your Short Ribs in a Dutch Oven over medium heat and brown the Ribs. This should take about 2 minutes on each side. Remove Ribs from the Pan and set aside
3. Add Red Onion to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half then add Tomatoes, Tomato Paste and Beef Stock. Bring to a simmer then add the Short Ribs back to the pot
4. Cover with a lid and place in an oven set to 300 degrees for 5 hours until the ribs are beautifully tender and can easily be broken up with a fork. Remove bones and the Cartlidge (which is not pleasant to eat) and discard. You can also slow cook on the stove top over low heat to achieve a similar result
5. Set aside the ribs and, if you want a thicker sauce, place back on the stove top and reduce to get your desired consistency
   
   

This recipe makes a significant batch of beautiful, braised Mexican Short Ribs so take what you need, and you’ll be able to refrigerate what’s remaining for a few days for some yummy leftovers! Alternatively, it’s a good idea to portion out the leftovers into Ziploc bags and freeze, so you can keep them for several months

Additional Recipes for Mexican Short Ribs

There are so many additional applications for this delicious braised beef. One of our favorites is using the beef in some yummy homemade Nachos, check out our recipe here

Another great recipe is the classic Californian Breakfast Burrito. Check out our recipe here!

Happy Cooking!