Short Ribs Braised in Coffee Ancho Chile Sauce: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

2000s Recipes + Menus

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.

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau

Photograph by Stephanie Foley