Drunken Short Ribs with Tomato Chile Sauce and Cabbage Lime Slaw

By All-Clad & Nancy Oakes
Images
Drunken Short Ribs with Tomato Chile Sauce and Cabbage Lime Slaw
Serves
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
  • 8 lbs. beef chuck short ribs, boneless
  • 6 dried New Mexico chile peppers
  • 12 roma tomatoes, halved
  • 1 7-oz. can of chipotle pepper in salsa adobo
  • 2 yellow onions quartered
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seed, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seed, toasted
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 bunch cilantro, sprigs picked from the stems and stems reserved
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 bottle good quality tequila
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Corn tortillas
  • Queso fresco
  • 1 to 2 avocados


Cabbage Lime Slaw:

  • ½ head green cabbage, sliced very thinly
  • ½ head Napa cabbage, sliced very thinly
  • 1 small onion, halved and sliced very thinly
  • 2 julienned jalapeños, seeds removed
  • Cilantro leaves
  • 1 to 2 each juice of limes
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • Toss ingredients together and serve immediately or drain before serving if made ahead. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Procedure
Short ribs are cooked to outstanding tenderness in tequila then topped with spicy sauce and tangy slaw, by chef and restaurateur Nancy Oakes.

Tomato-Chili Sauce:

Wipe clean the dried chili peppers and remove the stems, seed and veins. Toast the peppers in a medium hot oven for a minute or two until they just start to change color. Soak the toasted peppers in water for at least 30 minutes, drain and reserve the soaking water.

In a spice grinder, add the toasted cumin and coriander seeds. Grind into a fine powder.

In a blender, add the soaked chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cilantro stems. Add about 1 cup of the reserved soaking liquid and blend, add more liquid if necessary to obtain a very smooth and thick consistency. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Drunken Beef:

Blot the short ribs dry with a paper towel and season well with salt. Heat an All-Clad® Stainless Steel Dutch Oven over medium high heat, add the oil and wait until it shimmers. Add the short ribs and brown on all sides, be patient, this will take a few minutes per side. Once the beef is browned, remove and set aside.

Remove all but 4 tablespoons of oil from the pot and return to medium heat, add the reserved tomato-chili sauce, bring to a simmer and stir frequently, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in the tequila, and then return short ribs to pot.

Cover and place in 325°F oven. Cook for 2 hours, turning the short ribs over every once in a while. At 2 hours remove the lid, return to the oven to cook for ½ hour. This will reduce the sauce and deepen the color. Check for doneness by piercing the meat with a thin knife or fork. Once there is no resistance in the center, remove from the oven. Let cool in sauce. Degrease the sauce by ladling off any excess oil at the top. Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove the beef from the sauce and gently pull the warm beef apart with two forks and place in a bowl.

To serve: Place a generous spoonful of pulled beef with tomato-chili sauce on a warm corn tortilla. Sprinkle with warm queso fresco and diced avocado seasoned with lime and salt. Top with a pinch of slaw and serve.

Drunken Short Ribs with Tomato Chile Sauce and Cabbage Lime Slaw

By All-Clad & Nancy Oakes
Serves
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
  • 8 lbs. beef chuck short ribs, boneless
  • 6 dried New Mexico chile peppers
  • 12 roma tomatoes, halved
  • 1 7-oz. can of chipotle pepper in salsa adobo
  • 2 yellow onions quartered
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seed, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seed, toasted
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 bunch cilantro, sprigs picked from the stems and stems reserved
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 bottle good quality tequila
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Corn tortillas
  • Queso fresco
  • 1 to 2 avocados


Cabbage Lime Slaw:

  • ½ head green cabbage, sliced very thinly
  • ½ head Napa cabbage, sliced very thinly
  • 1 small onion, halved and sliced very thinly
  • 2 julienned jalapeños, seeds removed
  • Cilantro leaves
  • 1 to 2 each juice of limes
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • Toss ingredients together and serve immediately or drain before serving if made ahead. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Procedure
Short ribs are cooked to outstanding tenderness in tequila then topped with spicy sauce and tangy slaw, by chef and restaurateur Nancy Oakes.

Tomato-Chili Sauce:

Wipe clean the dried chili peppers and remove the stems, seed and veins. Toast the peppers in a medium hot oven for a minute or two until they just start to change color. Soak the toasted peppers in water for at least 30 minutes, drain and reserve the soaking water.

In a spice grinder, add the toasted cumin and coriander seeds. Grind into a fine powder.

In a blender, add the soaked chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cilantro stems. Add about 1 cup of the reserved soaking liquid and blend, add more liquid if necessary to obtain a very smooth and thick consistency. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Drunken Beef:

Blot the short ribs dry with a paper towel and season well with salt. Heat an All-Clad® Stainless Steel Dutch Oven over medium high heat, add the oil and wait until it shimmers. Add the short ribs and brown on all sides, be patient, this will take a few minutes per side. Once the beef is browned, remove and set aside.

Remove all but 4 tablespoons of oil from the pot and return to medium heat, add the reserved tomato-chili sauce, bring to a simmer and stir frequently, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in the tequila, and then return short ribs to pot.

Cover and place in 325°F oven. Cook for 2 hours, turning the short ribs over every once in a while. At 2 hours remove the lid, return to the oven to cook for ½ hour. This will reduce the sauce and deepen the color. Check for doneness by piercing the meat with a thin knife or fork. Once there is no resistance in the center, remove from the oven. Let cool in sauce. Degrease the sauce by ladling off any excess oil at the top. Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove the beef from the sauce and gently pull the warm beef apart with two forks and place in a bowl.

To serve: Place a generous spoonful of pulled beef with tomato-chili sauce on a warm corn tortilla. Sprinkle with warm queso fresco and diced avocado seasoned with lime and salt. Top with a pinch of slaw and serve.