Braised Chile-Spiced Short Ribs with Black Beans from Gourmet Magazine, February 2009

Meal number three and definitely the most complex one so far. Actually, that's not saying much. The first two recipes were very easy. But this one did have quite a few more steps to it. You can tell because of the long name; Braised Chile Spiced Short Ribs with Black Beans. Yeah, there's a lot to it.

All I've done so far is boil black beans so they can spend a hour soaking. I also caused serious pain to the tip of my nose after ripping apart ancho chilies and then scratching an itch without washing my hands between those two things. Currently my nose is on fire. Not only that, but the instructions for preparing the dried anchos mention in detail how you're supposed to wipe and dissect the chlies, but they totally fail to mention that when you plop the ripped up anchos into the boiling water with your face right over the cup, you're going to have a coughing fit and clear your sinuses for life as a bonus. Anchos 2, Me 0.

To tell you the truth, I had a bad feeling about this dish this morning when I realized that the molasses I needed (just 2 tablespoons worth) was sitting in the refrigerator transformed into gingerbread cookie dough at the request of our child. Not letting little details like that deter me, I've gone to the trash and pulled out the bottle which is now sitting on the counter upside down. I'm going to squeeze out two tablespoons if it kills me.

It's some time later but I won't post this entry until we eat so I can give a full report. I do want to comment on the rest of the proceedings while they're still fresh in my mind (though I doubt that this cooking experience will leave my thoughts for a long time).

After waiting the 20 minutes for those sadistic Ancho peppers to hydrate and holding a glass of ice water against my face in hopes of cooling my nose, I slathered some green, goopey aloe gel around my upper lip area in the hopes that I'd be able to work. After inhaling in a snootful of aloe, I gave up and decided to just proceed; after all, by that point it only hurt when I breathed out.

The rest of the preparations went smoothly and as the recipe said it should, though the anchos almost got me one final time. After browning the ribs and bacon in the pot I had to pour the ancho paste in. The magazine does mention that, "it may spatter." MAY spatter?? Pouring cold liquid into hot oil MAY spatter? This time I was prepared and had my face out of the way. Trust me. It spatters.

But now the ribs are in the oven and the beans are simmering on the stove and oh my gosh, the wonderful smell that the ribs are making as they cook. They give a slightly sweet heady aroma that promises a wonderful dinner in three hours.

Three hours later I must have been too excited to dive into the ribs because after taking the pot out of the oven with mitts, I grabbed the top with my bare fingers and burned them. Can I blame this on the anchos? Doubtful, but why not. They were in the pot that the top was on.

The ribs are delightful. The chilies were rendered sweet and tasty with just the hint of heat at the back of the throat after swallowing. The cinnamon stick adds a lot of flavor. The ribs themselves were fall-off-the-bone tender and the best tasting beef ribs I've ever had.

On the other hand, the beans were awful. They totally lacked flavor and this is after tasting them on the stove and adding onion powder and hot sauce in the hopes of reviving the poor guys. The magazine talks about how ribs are usually served with mashed potatoes. Well, I think there's a good reason for that and I'll stick with them instead.

Braised Chile-Spiced Short Ribs with Black Beans 
from Gourmet Magazine, February 2009

For beans:
1 pound dried black beans (about 2 1/4 cups)
8 cups water
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf

For short ribs:
1 1/4 ounces dried ancho chiles (3 to 4 medium)
2 cups boiling-hot water
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotles in adobo plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons molasses (not robust or blackstrap)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 whole cloves
2 1/3 cups cold water, divided
5 pounds beef short ribs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 pound sliced bacon, chopped
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

Quick-soak beans: 
Put beans in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches.

Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 hour.

Make chile purée: 
Wipe anchos clean, then stem and seed. Discard ribs and tear anchos into pieces.

Soak anchos in boiling-hot water until softened, about 20 minutes. Transfer anchos to a blender, reserving soaking liquid.
Purée anchos with onion, garlic, chipotles with sauce, tomato paste, molasses, cumin, cloves, 1/3 cup water, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Braise short ribs:
Pat ribs dry and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper (total). Heat oil in a wide 6-to 8-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown ribs in batches, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer as browned to a platter. Discard fat from pot.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Cook bacon in pot over medium heat until browned, then transfer with a slotted spoon to platter.

Stir chile purée into fat in pot (it may spatter). Cook, stirring frequently, 6 minutes. Stir in reserved chile-soaking liquid, remaining 2 cups water, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Return ribs and bacon to pot and braise, covered, in oven until ribs are very tender, 3 to 3 1/4 hours. Skim fat from sauce.

Cook beans while ribs braise: 
Drain beans, then return to pot and add fresh water (8 cups), bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until beans are just tender, 1 1/4 to 2 hours (depending on age of beans). Drain just before serving.

Serve short ribs with beans.