The Best Short Rib Chili

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Take one bite and I have no doubt you’ll agree this is the best short rib chili! Every spoonful is loaded with tender, melt-in-your-mouth shredded short ribs along with hearty black beans, warm spices and a dried chile paste for the ultimate depth of flavor. When you need the perfect chili for game day, a casual gathering with friends or just a big bowl of comfort food, look no further than this short rib chili.

A spoonful of the short rib chili with chips and a napkin to the side.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Recipe FAQs
Expert Tips
Perfect Pairing
Looking for More Chili Recipes?
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Dried chile paste makes for the best chili — hands down: A lot of chili recipes use chili powder, but it does not produce the most flavorful chili. The best chili recipes make a paste from dried chiles.

If you’ve never made a chili recipe using a dried chile paste, this may sound intimidating, but we’ll walk through the process, and I promise it’s super simple. Plus, most of the preparation time is hands-off. That means you can prep the other ingredients while the dried chiles do their thing, so it really doesn’t add much extra time.

That short rib meat: So many chili recipes call for ground beef, but let's face it -- ground beef can't touch the flavor and texture of shredded short ribs. Short ribs have a lot of connective tissue, so when we cook them low and slow, they break down, making for the most tender meat. A recipe is only as good as its ingredients, and a high-quality meat makes all the difference here.

A few secret spices add a complexity: We use some typical chili spices, such as cumin, but we also add cinnamon, allspice, cloves and cocoa powder, which give this chili a nice warmth and deeper flavor.

Always a game-day favorite: Whether you’re bringing a dish to a tailgate or hosting a Super Bowl party, the occasion isn’t complete without a pot of chili. This is perfect for serving a crowd. You can serve this short rib chili like a soup or use it to top favorite game-day recipes, such as nachos, burgers or hotdogs.

A bowl of short rib chili on a wooden plate with chips, cilantro and limes around it.

Ingredients

And now for a few short rib chili ingredient notes.

Short ribs: I prefer to use bone-in short ribs, but you can substitute the boneless variety if needed. Just keep in mind the short ribs will likely cook faster.

Dried chiles: Even though these chiles are dried, they should still be pliable. I like to use guajillo and chile de árbol.

Spice mixture: In addition to the seasoning mixture listed in the above section, we use cumin, Mexican oregano, dark brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and coriander.

Chili toppings: While not pictured, make sure you also pick up your favorite toppings. I love cheese, sour cream, avocado, red onions, jalapeños, cilantro and lime wedges, but feel free to get creative.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: We start by making our dried chile paste. For this step, we toast the dried chiles by cooking them over medium-high heat until they're nice and fragrant, about two to three minutes (photo 1). Then, we add beef stock to the pot, cover and simmer until the chiles soften (photo 2).

A collage showing the process of toasting the dried chiles and then simmering in beef stock.

Step 2: Now we pour the dried chiles and beef stock into a blender and add our chipotle peppers with adobo sauce (photo 3) and blend until it turns to a smooth mixture (photo 4). And just like that, we have our dried chile paste.

Blending the chipotle peppers in a blender with the other chiles until smooth.

Step 3: From here, we dust our short ribs with salt, pepper and a touch of flour and then cook them in hot oil on all sides until they're perfectly brown like so (photo 5). Not only does this give the meat a nice textured crust, but it also helps develop the flavor.

Cooking the short ribs in a Dutch oven until they turn brown.

Step 4: We remove the short ribs from the pot and cook chopped onions and jalapeño until they soften (photo 6). This should take about four to five minutes. At the very end, we add some garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

Cooking the onions and jalapeno in the Dutch oven until they soften.

Step 5: Now we pour in more beef stock, coffee, the dried chile paste and a touch of apple cider vinegar and stir in our spice mixture with some tomato paste and diced tomatoes (photo 7). Once we have one cohesive mixture, we add our short ribs back to the pot (photo 8) and bring it to a boil.

Adding the short ribs and spices to the pot before boiling.

Step 6: Once the mixture boils, we reduce the heat to a simmer and mostly cover the pot with just a small crack open (photo 9). We continue to simmer the chili until the short ribs are tender enough to easily pull off the bone, about two and a half to three hours.

The Dutch oven covered with a small crack open.

Step 7: When the short ribs are ready, we remove them from the chili and add a can of black beans to the pot. At this point, the chili has already reduced, so we can cover completely to help the beans heat up. We shred the short ribs with two forks (photo 10) and add the meat back to the pot.

The shredded short ribs on a wooden cutting board.

And there you have it! Our very best short rib chili is ready to devour. Bonus points for serving it with a side of this jalapeño popper cornbread for some serious comfort food.

Related: Want more chili recipes? Try this Dutch oven braised chili.

Recipe FAQs

Is it best to make chili in advance?

While I've served this chili the same day I made it and it was absolutely wonderful, I love to make chili at least a day ahead. When chili has time to sit in the refrigerator, the flavors have a chance to meld to make for an even deeper flavor. You can make this chili three to four days in advance. Plus, this makes entertaining super easy.

Should you cook chili covered or uncovered?

I recommend cooking chili with a small crack open. By leaving a small crack open, this allows the liquid to reduce and thicken without losing too much stock.

Can you make this chili in a slow cooker?

I prefer to make my red chilis on the stove because I can keep a crack open to reduce the liquid as mentioned above. That said, you can prepare this chili in a slow cooker. You'll still want to use the stove-top to make the chile paste and brown the meat, but you can then combine everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours or high for four hours.

Can you freeze leftover chili?

Absolutely! Chili is perfect for freezing. In fact, I love keeping a batch of chili in the freezer, so I'm always ready for a last-minute casual gathering.

Simply keep the chili in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to six months. You can let the chili sit in the refrigerator or freeze right away -- just make sure it's cool before putting in the freezer.

To thaw, let the chili sit in the refrigerator overnight. You can also use the defrost setting on the microwave if you need to hurry the process. Just don't thaw the chili in room temperature -- that could let bacteria develop, and you don't want that.

How do you reheat chili?

You have two options here: the microwave or the stove-top. Keep in mind that chili tends to splatter in the microwave, so to keep your kitchen as clean as possible, I recommend adding the chili to a pot, covering and heating until it reaches your desired serving temperature, stirring every so often.

Expert Tips

While heat level is subjective, I consider this a medium-heat chili. If you'd like to ramp up the heat, you can leave in the seeds or simply serve with fresh jalapeño slices on top. That's my preference because it allows people to control the heat.
Guajillo and chile de árbol should be fairly easy to find in the ethnic section of the grocery store. However, if you can’t find them, you can order them on Amazon: Guajillo chiles and arbol chiles.
If you need substitution options, ancho is a close match to Guajillo chiles, or you could even use more generically labeled New Mexican chiles. For the arbol chile, the Japanese japone pepper has a similar heat level and could work in a pinch.
Make sure you brown your short ribs in two batches. If you overcrowd the pot, it will create too much steam, and you won't get that wonderful browning.
Not a fan of beans in your chili? Simply leave them out. My authentic Texas chili stays true to Team No Beans, but I do like the heartiness they add.

Perfect Pairing

Beer and chili go hand in hand, and I can't resist a bold stout with this delicious recipe. With a stout, its thick body can stand up to the hearty ribs, and you'll love how that roasted malt brings out the warm spices.

Prefer wine? Grab a zinfandel and call it a day. Zinfandel gives us some nice fruity notes that contrast the chili heat, and then its peppery finish complements the spices. We also get a kick of acidity, which gives our palate a chance to refresh.

For the best short rib chili you'll ever taste, do yourself a favor and make this recipe. You'll love every meaty, loaded bite.

Cheers!

A bowl of short rib chili with chips and cilantro sprigs around it.

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