Have you noticed that they price of meat, ANY meat, is outrageously priced these days? Cuts of meat that were once very reasonable are almost as expensive as a steak! Feeding a family of four is expensive! When I recently found beef short ribs on sale I decided to take a chance. I had never bought them before, but the lady working at the store assured me that they cook up tender and delicious. After doing a little research, I decided to try this recipe by Marcela Valladolid. It was extremely easy, and my family loved these tacos.
Don’t let “spicy” scare you. I didn’t think the tacos were spicy at all. I was unable to find ancho chiles in my area, so I substituted Guajillo chiles. The beef will improve in flavor if cooked a couple of days before serving.
- 4 dried ancho chiles (or 8 Guajillo chiles), stemmed, seeded, and ribs discarded
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- ⅓ c. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1½ low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tsp. salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
- 6 lb. beef short ribs
- Vegetable oil
- warm corn and/or flour tortillas
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- ½ c. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Soak the ancho or Guajillo chiles in boiling water until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and discard the liquid. Transfer the softened chiles to a blender. Add the onion, garlic, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, beef broth, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Puree until smooth.
- Pat the ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the ribs in batches, turning occasionally. Transfer browned ribs to a slow cooker.
- Pour the sauce over the ribs (liquid should reach about halfway up sides of meat). Cover and cook for 7 hours on high until very tender. All the ribs to cool slightly in the sauce.
- Remove the ribs from the sauce. Discard the bones and fat and shred the meat into a large bowl. Skim the fat from the surface of the sauce and discard. Mix the sauce into the meat and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the meat and sauce into a warm tortilla and serve with Mexican crema and chopped fresh cilantro. (We like ours serve with Cowboy Beans also.)
The ribs can also be cooked in a 350°F oven for 3½ hours.