Short Rib Chili

George and I went to Chili Cook off recently and sampled great chili creations but there was a clear winner among them for us. Short Rib Chili. I've never heard of short rib chili before but knew I had to try to make it. I did not have a recipe for this but I've adapted several different recipes to make it come together. If you'd like beans in your chili you can certainly add it, but this chili does not need it in my opinion.



* 2 heads of garlic
* 4 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
* 3 quarts water
* 1 white onion, quartered


* 3 tomatoes (about 12 ounces), halved
* 1/2 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil


* 16 dried guajillo chilies* (about 2 ounces), stemmed, halved, seeded
* 3 large dried ancho chilies* (about 2 ounces), stemmed, halved, seeded


* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
* Pinch of ground cloves
* 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar



Cut 1 head of garlic crosswise in half. Place in large pot with ribs, 3 quarts water, and quartered onion. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until meat is cooked through, about 50 minutes. Strain, reserving 6 cups meat broth (discard onions and garlic). Reserve ribs. You can pull the meat of the bone into small pieces or cut it into small dice.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap remaining head of garlic tightly in foil and place directly on oven rack. Place tomatoes and sliced onion on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast garlic, tomatoes, and onion until tender, about 1 hour. Transfer tomatoes and onion to processor. Using fingers, squeeze garlic from papery skin into processor. Blend until smooth. Set tomato sauce aside.

Place guajillo and ancho chilies in medium bowl. Add 4 cups reserved meat broth. Let stand 30 minutes. Transfer mixture to processor and blend until smooth. Strain chili sauce into medium bowl, pressing on solids in strainer with rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chili sauce; simmer 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, and cloves. Simmer 5 minutes. Add ribs, vinegar, and remaining 2 cups meat broth. Add meat. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until sauce is thick, about 50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-high heat until hot.)