Tuck into serious comfort food with this Short Rib Chili! Classic chili ingredients like onions, beans, and a plethora of spices with rich, tender, melt in your mouth beef short ribs. Best of all, you can cook this crowd-pleasing meal on the stovetop or in the slow cooker!
I love chili. LOVE it. Vegetarian chili, ground beef chili, and chicken chili. When you're in the mood for something hearty and spicy, chili just gets the job done.
We're in the thick of chili season here in New England and I'm presenting you this bowl of comfort!
This recipe has everything there is to love about the traditional version but instead of using classic ground beef for the meat, we're using beef short ribs.
Table of contents
Types of Short Ribs
There are different types of short ribs! Great news though, you can use any of the cuts to make this recipe.
Chuck short ribs are my favorite and what I find to be most widely available. They come from the 1st through the 5th of the rib bones and have about 1 to 2 inches of meat on top of the rib bone.
You might also see English cut short ribs and those work great too! Instead of cutting the short ribs bone by bone, the rib plate is cut lengthwise so each piece will have sections of the rib bones.
All you have to do in using either of these cuts is just be sure to remove all the bone pieces when shredding the meat after cooking.
You might also see the short ribs referred to as flaken cut.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Get the beef and let's get cooking. The short ribs are super easy to prep! Then get all the ingredients in the pot to simmer. Here's what you'll need to make short rib chili.
- Meat: beef short ribs
- Vegetables: red pepper, green pepper, onion, garlic, jalapeño
- Pantry Ingredients: chipotle peppers, whole tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, tomato paste
- Spices: chili powder, cumin, marjarom, cayenne, white pepper, cocoa powder,
- Liquids: stout beer, neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil
Everyone has their own or develops their own favorite way to make chili. These just happen to be my favorite go-to combination. You can always tweak these to fit your preferences!
Substitutions to note:
The short rib cuts do tend to run a bit pricey. If you don't want all beef short ribs, I'd recommend substituting 1 pound of the short ribs with ground beef (80/20 or 85/15).
This combination of meats will make this chili really hearty. I'm a fan.
Feel free to substitute whatever beans you have available in the pantry. It's really flexible! You can use black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, or even navy beans to make chili. Add corn, peppers, fresh tomatoes, or substitute red onion - so many options.
How To Make Short Rib Chili
For slow cooker directions: just throw all the ingredients in the pot and press the button! (Isn't that lovely?!).
OR….you can follow the same stovetop steps for searing the meat through deglazing the pan, then transfer it to the slow cooker.
It doesn't make a huge difference since the slow cooker will render the ingredients together over several hours, but it does extract a smidge more flavor from the meat.
For the stovetop directions: season and sear the cuts of beef, remove the meat, and sweat the vegetables.
Add the meat back to the pan before deglazing with the stout beer and adding the remaining ingredients.
Cover and simmer until the short rib meat is falling off the bone. Shred the meat as fine or chunky as you want it and return it to the chili before serving.
Tips:
Let the meat sit out on the counter for about 1 hour before searing. This lets the meat come closer to room temperature and prevents the meat from 'seizing' in the hot oiled pan.
Season the short ribs liberally before cooking.
Remove the short ribs after searing and sweat vegetables in the remaining fat and oil.
Deglaze the pan with beer (or stock!) before adding the remaining ingredients and short ribs to the pan.
When pouring the beer into the pan, use a spatula to gently scrape the drippings that collect on the bottom of the pan so the flavors are incorporated into the chili.
How long does it take to make?
Once the prep work is out of the way, you'll want to simmer the chili for 2 ½ to 3 hours for stovetop cooking and for 8 hours on low heat for slow cooker preparation.
The slow cooker option is perfect if you want to make this overnight to have it ready the next day!
The only work left to do is to gently shred the cooked short rib meat from the bones. You decide if you want it in large pieces or finely shredded!
Should you trim fat?
It depends on how fatty the cut of meat is. If they're really fatty and you can remove it without losing any meat, I'd recommend at least removing any large pieces of fat.
TIP: If you're making this in advance, you can also chill the chili in the fridge overnight. The fat will rise to the top and harden, then you can easily remove it with a spoon before reheating.
What type of beer should you use?
Darker beers like stout and porter are made from grains that are toasted for longer so there are hints of cocoa and toasty flavors. It works well with the spices and deep flavors of this short rib chili.
I recommend using a low alcohol stout or porter, like Guinness. A lager like Budweiser will do a good job, too, but with a slightly different flavor.
Do you have to use beer?
If you'd rather make chili without beer, substitute either beef, chicken, or vegetable stock. Something to help pull the flavors from the pan.
Can short rib chili be made in advance?
Absolutely! In fact, I'd recommend it. Advance prep allows the beans to absorb more liquid from the tomatoes and thicken the chili.
Can you freeze it or freeze leftovers?
Yes! Chili freezes and reheats really easily.
What do you serve with it?
My favorite chili pairing is something you can use to scoop it up or clean up what's left in the bowl like tortilla chips, fritos, TJs Elote chips (the best!), or cornbread. These are some of my favorite pairings!
If you made this chili, please leave a rating below in the recipe card! I'd love to know about it in the comments too!
If you like this try....
Short Rib Chili
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds beef short ribs
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 jalapeño (minced)
- 1 large red onion (diced)
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 1 green pepper (diced)
- 1.5 cups dark beer (like Guinness)
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo (roughly chopped)
- 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce (optional for added smoky spice)
- 2 large cans whole peeled tomatoes in sauce
- 1 can dark kidney beans
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 small can tomato paste (6-ounce can)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon marjarom or Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Remove the short ribs from the fridge about an hour before cooking, if possible. It won't greatly affect the outcome of the dish but helps in the searing process. You can trim some of the fat if you like. Season all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a dutch oven or large heavy bottom pot, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, sear the short ribs about 3 to 4 minutes each side until browned. Transfer the seared ribs to a plate.
- In the oil and rendered fat, sauté the onions, garlic, and peppers for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. The vegetables will continue to cook as the chili simmers.
- Pour the beer - or 1 cup stock if substituting - into the pan and gently scrape any bits of short rib that stuck to the pan during searing.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pan: chipotle peppers, chipotle peppers sauce (optional), tomatoes, tomato paste, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, chili powder, cumin, marjoram, cayenne, white pepper, cocoa powder, the short ribs and any juices that collected on the plate. Stir until combined and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the short rib meat is easily pulled apart with a fork.
- Stir the chili occasionally. The tomatoes will break down as the chili cooks. After cooking, transfer the short ribs to a plate. Using two forks, shred the meat as chunky or fine as you like. Return to the pot and stir to combine.
- Enjoy immediately or to lighten up the richness, chill completely in the fridge and scoop off any fat that solidifies before reheating.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Optional: trim any fat from the short ribs. Season all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a large slow cooker, add all the ingredients: short ribs, onions, peppers, garlic, beans, spices, tomatoes, tomato pastes, beer (or 1 cup stock). You can omit the 2 tablespoons canola oil.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- After cooking, transfer the short ribs to a plate. Using two forks, shred the meat as chunky or fine as you like. Return to the pot and stir to combine.
- Enjoy immediately or to lighten up the richness, chill completely in the fridge and scoop off any fat that solidifies before reheating.
Notes
- Beef short ribs can run a bit pricey! Try substituting 1 pound of the short ribs for 1 pound of ground beef to lessen the cost and make the chili extra meaty.
- You can trim the fat from the short ribs before cooking or if making in advance, chill in the fridge and skim the layer of fat from the top before reheating.
- To make without beer, substitute a little beef stock to deglaze the pan.
- You can substitute lager for the stout, or really any mild beer you have on hand.
- The chili can be made in advance and reheated when you're ready to eat.
- To freeze the chili, let it cool before transferring to storage containers and freezing.
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