MAMA RITA’S RECIPE COLLECTION

Beef Short Ribs in Three Chiles

Costilla cargada en tres chiles

Meaty ribs, a slow braise, and a sauce built from guajillo, ancho, and pasilla. The cooking time follows the tenderness of the ribs.

From the family’s collected recipes · English home-kitchen adaptation

Ingredients

2 kg (4.4 lb) bone-in beef short ribs, thick English-cut pieces
40 g dried guajillo, 30 g dried ancho, and 30 g dried pasilla chiles, weighed before cleaning
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 teaspoons fine salt to start, plus black pepper to taste
3–4 cups unsalted beef broth, as needed

Soften the chiles.

Heat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Remove chile stems, seeds, and loose ribs. Soak in very hot water for about 20 minutes. Drain and blend with the garlic, oregano, and 2 cups broth. Strain smooth.
Brown the ribs.

Pat the ribs dry, season with salt and pepper, and brown in the oil in a heavy ovenproof Dutch oven, working in batches. Pour off excess fat.
Braise gently.

Return the ribs, add the sauce and bay leaves, and add broth to come about two-thirds up the meat. Bring just to a simmer, cover tightly, and transfer to the oven. Cook 2½–3½ hours, checking liquid after 90 minutes, until a fork enters easily and the meat loosens from the bone.
Finish the sauce.

Lift out the ribs. Remove the bay leaves, skim surface fat, and reduce the sauce gently if needed. Return the ribs to coat. Serve with vegetable rice.

Chill promptly, then lift off the hardened surface fat before reheating. See the collection’s storage notes.

For cooked dishes, cool promptly and follow the storage and reheating guide. Follow the shorter storage directions above where given.