Short ribs were on sale again so it seemed a good time to make this dish. Also, having opened a can of chilis in adobo sauce for yesterday's chicken with shallots, winter greens and vinegar, I was happy to use the remainder in this dish rather than have it languish in the fridge. The heat in the canned chilis varies greatly from can to can so taste before throwing some in with gay abandon like I did. It is easy to build heat up, harder to tone it down.
I used flour tacos which I regretted and will revert back to corn for next time as I much prefer their taste and texture. Fixings are whatever you personally like on tacos; I used guacamole, cilantro, grated Monterey Jack, shredded cabbage, sour cream and pickled red onions. As intimated above, hot sauce was not needed but is usually among my fixings.
1 1/2 lbs short ribs (I used deboned. If buying bone-in, buy about 2 lbs of meat)
1/2 white onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 8 oz can diced tomatoes
1-3 chilis in adobo + 2 tsps of the sauce
2 tsps Bourbon (optional; adds to the smoky flavor)
2 bay leaves
2 tsps oil
Salt to taste
Preheat your oven to 300.
Heat the oil in an oven safe dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and some salt and cook for a few minutes until the onions are starting to soften. Remove the onions and garlic to a plate with kitchen tongs, set aside.
Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, sear your short ribs until browned. I cut each of my deboned short ribs into 3 pieces for a faster cooking time. Salt on each side as you cook them.
Once all of the meat pieces are browned, return them and the onions and garlic to the pan and add the Bourbon. Cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, for a few minutes until the alcohol has evaporated.
Remove the pan from the heat. add all of the other ingredients and top up with enough cold water to ensure that the meat is fully submerged.
Cover and place in the oven for 3-4 hours until the short ribs are so tender that they can be cut with a spoon.
Remove from the oven and fish out all the pieces of meat. Place them in a bowl and, using 2 forks, roughly shred them. Add a little of the liquid from the pot so that the meat is juicy and moist but not too much or your tacos will be hard to handle.
Serve with the taco fixings of your choice.
I put the cooking liquid from the short ribs overnight and remove the disk of fat that forms on the top. I then freeze it as it makes an amazing base for black bean soup or for beef stew.