Chocolate, with its varying flavor profiles, earthy, nutty and fruity notes, is the exact add to your short rib recipe that you didn't know that you needed.
Prep Time25mins
Cook Time2hrs28mins
Total Time2hrs53mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: braised short ribs, Chocolate and Port Braised Short Ribs, port braised short ribs
Servings: 6
Calories: 382kcal
Ingredients
12Medium-sized short ribs
Salt and pepper
2tbspOlive oil
3Garlic clovesMinced
Garlic powder
Onion powder
1Small onionFinely chopped
1CarrotFinely chopped
2cupsBeef broth
2.5cupsPort(Choose your favorite port. Any port, such as Tawny Port or Ruby Port, will do.)
1cupDry red wine
6-8tspBalsamic vinegar
Sriracha
1canSmall can tomato paste
5SprigsFresh thyme
3Bay leaves (Dried)
3tbsp.Quinoa flour
1/4cupMasa
Red pepper flakes
1/2Bar72% Craft Dark Chocolate (About 1.1 ounces in total)(Admittedly, Dalloway Chocolate -shown in the above image- is a bit hard to find if you are not in NYC)
Instructions
Let short ribs come to room temperature and salt them on both sides.
In a large dutch oven heat about 1 tbs. of olive oil on high heat and put half of the short ribs in the pan to brown. While browning sprinkle garlic and onion powder over the ribs. When one side is brown, flip the little guys over and sprinkle more onion and garlic powder on the other side. Using a large dutch oven, I needed to do my browning in two batches.
Remove short ribs and place to the side.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the chopped onion, carrot, and garlic. I’m notorious for burning garlic, so if you are too, bring the heat WAY down and watch that pan like a hawk!
When the onions are soft, about 5 minutes, add the quinoa flour and masa. I’ll be honest, I measured the quinoa flour but just grabbed about a handful of masa and threw it in. The first time I made this recipe I used only masa and really loved the texture it brought to the dish.
Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the short ribs, Sriracha, red pepper flakes and balsamic vinegar) and stir.
Place the ribs back into the pot and submerge them as much as possible.
Now is the time to get creative! We love spice in our house so I used a liberal pinch of red pepper flakes and a few squirts of Sriracha. If you’re not a heat-forward person, feel free to leave these two ingredients out.
Now comes the crucial ingredient! Balsamic vinegar. (A little background on this. When I made these ribs, I called my wife into the kitchen to try the sauce. She told me it needed acid. And she was soooo right. So add that balsamic vinegar to taste.) I used around 6–8 capfuls (or teaspoons). But you do you and use as much as tastes good to your palette. Then, add salt to taste.
Set your stove to medium and cooked covered for 2 hours, then remove the lid and cook uncovered for around another 30 minutes