Mexican Braised Short Ribs with Chipotle Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 4 servings

Mexican Braised Short Ribs with Chipotle Mashed Potatoes

Mexican Braised Short Ribs with Chipotle Mashed Potatoes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

Short Ribs

  • 4 lbs beef short ribs
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 roma tomatoes, quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 jalapeño, sliced
  • 3 cups water or broth
  • ½ cup Mexican Red Chile Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup minced cilantro
  • Salt + pepper

Chipotle Mashed Potatoes

  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder or 2 chipotles in adobo, minced
  • Salt + pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°. Season short ribs all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and brown ribs on all sides, starting with the fat side first, about 3 to 4 minutes to side. Remove ribs from the pot and set aside. If there is excess fat, drain all but about 2-3 tablespoons from the pot. Add the onion and cook until just translucent. Add the carrot, tomatoes, garlic cloves tomato paste and jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat the vegetables in the tomato paste and remaining fat. Add the broth/water, mexican red chile sauce and apple cider vinegar and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Return the ribs to the pot, cover and bake for 2 hours.

Make the potatoes: Quarter the peeled potatoes and boil in a large pot of water along with the garlic clove until tender. Drain and return to the pot, add butter, milk and chipotle powder or minced chipotle. Use a potato masher or hand mixer to mash. Season with salt and pepper.

Check the short ribs after two hours. If they are fork tender with the bones loosened, remove the lid, increase the oven heat to 375°. Bake uncovered on the top rack for another 30 minutes to caramelize the tops of the ribs. To finish, remove the ribs from the pot and set aside, covered. Bring the braising liquid to a boil on the stovetop to reduce. Skim the fat from the liquid as it reduces, another 20 minutes or so. Discard any bones that have fallen off. Taste and season with salt if needed. Serve over mashed potatoes, topped with the reduced braising liquid, garnish with cilantro.

Recipe Notes

Chiles in adobo can be substituted for Mexican Red Chile Sauce, but they will make the braise much spicier. If substituting, I might use ¼ to ⅓ cup instead. Many braise recipes suggest chilling everything overnight after the braise is done, and then removing the top layer of fat before reheating and serving. While it’s certainly easier to remove fat from a dish once the fat is solid, I don’t prefer to wait a whole day to serve my braise after working on it for several hours. It’s possible to skim the fat from the hot liquid, even if it’s a bit more work. Just use a wide spoon or ladle and have patience. I also like finishing up the braising liquid on the stove top to make a sauce. Once the fat is off, you can simply reduce the liquid as the recipe calls for, or you can add a splash of milk/cream, or even purée it.

Rating

The slightly spicy and smoky chile flavors make a classic braised short rib recipe new and exciting.

Recipe Attempts

This recipe has been attempted by the author 1 time(s).