Serves6
- Active time:40 min
- Start to finish:4 1/2 hr
Bones are what you want on Halloween night, and your best bet for plenty of them—along with generous amounts of succulent meat—is beef short ribs. Slowly braised to tenderness with a mixture of fruity anchos and fiery chipotles tempered with coffee (a flavor combination we learned from chef Robert Del Grande of RDG + Bar Annie in Houston), the resulting pan sauce is as dark and haunting as the night.
-
4
dried ancho chiles, stems, seeds, and ribs discarded
-
2
cups
boiling-hot water
-
1
medium onion, quartered
-
3
garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
-
2
tablespoons
finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo plus 2 tsp adobo sauce
-
2
tablespoons
pure maple syrup
-
1
tablespoon
fresh lime juice
-
6
lb
beef short ribs or flanken
-
1
tablespoon
vegetable oil
-
1/2
cup
brewed coffee
-
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
-
Wipe anchos clean and soak in boiling-hot water until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain in a colander set over a bowl. Taste soaking liquid: It will be a little bitter, but if unpleasantly so, discard it; otherwise, reserve for braising. Transfer anchos to a blender with onion, garlic, chipotles with sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 tsp salt and purée until smooth.
-
Pat ribs dry and season with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown ribs in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes total per batch. Transfer as browned to a roasting pan just large enough to hold ribs in 1 layer.
-
Carefully add chile purée to fat in skillet (it will spatter and steam) and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add reserved chile soaking liquid (or 1 1/2 cups water) and coffee and bring to a boil, then pour over ribs (liquid should come about halfway up sides of meat).
-
Cover roasting pan tightly with foil and braise ribs in oven until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Skim fat from pan juices and serve with ribs.
Cooks’ note: - Ribs improve in flavor if braised 2 days ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, surface covered with parchment or wax paper and roasting pan covered with foil. Remove any solidified fat before reheating.