Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Ancho and Chipotle Glazed Beef Short Ribs

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Now that we’re beginning to see a hint of cooler fall weather, and inspired by some great recipes our friend Chef Libby in Austin has been sharing of late, we’ve been experimenting for weeks now with chile pepper based salsas and sauces to flavor up all sorts of dishes.

This recipe is a great example. A few weeks ago Libby and I were chatting about a recipe close to this one that showed up in Bon Appetit’s feed. We agreed their version was good, but was missing something; I thought it needed a deeper, fruit-like flavor note that anchos bring to the table.

Libby tried several different peppers (including guajillo and dried Californias by report) as well, though ended up agreeing with me that the ancho addition was the home run, and she also (being a Southern chef and knowing her catering audience in Austin very well) add just a bit of molasses too.

Hardcore keto folks will of course gasp at the inclusion of brown sugar (and the molasses), though I tend to agree with Mark Sisson that the occasional inclusion of any sweetener in a marinade or glaze isn’t in any way going to break the “carb bank” and disrupt your nutritional ketosis. Of course you can leave it out and rely on the natural sweetness of the anchos too.

This recipe was developed by the team at Bon Appetit apparently specifically for grilled short ribs, though we (and Libby) think it’s great on flank, skirt, and hanger steaks – all tougher, deeply-flavored cuts that need to be grilled just to medium rare and rested, then thinly sliced across the grain with care. Though I haven’t done so yet, I can imagine the sauce playing very well with pork tenderloin or chops, and I’ll probably make a batch around Thanksgiving when there’s a turkey on the menu…

The short ribs are a great call, and made a wonderful taco for these images, and even better bacon-wrapped poppers the next day.

6 garlic cloves, toasted (see below)
3-4 canned chipotles in adobo
1 presoaked, stemmed and seeded ancho Chile (2 if small)
1 tbsp chipotle adobo sauce
1/4 cup, scant, dark brown sugar (packed)
2 tbsp plain distilled white vinegar
1 tsp molasses, optional
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup water

1 and 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs (thicker the better)
1-2 tsp kosher salt
Optional: pinch of ground cumin, pinch of ancho chile powder
Avocado oil

To serve
Slaw of your choice – try this one
Red onion, cut into wedges through intact the root end
Avocado, small dice
Lime quarters
Chopped cilantro
Sliced radishes
Tortillas (gluten free or not)

Toast the garlic until charred, peel, then toss in the blender or food processor with the chipotles, adobo, soaked ancho chile, brown sugar, vinegar, molasses, kosher salt, pepper, and water. Blend until smooth, then set aside.

Fire the grill, and rub the short ribs with a 1 teaspoon or so of kosher salt, the optional cumin and ancho chile powder, then drizzle with the avocado oil and rub everything in.

Now grill the short ribs, rotating every 2 minutes or so, until crisp and browned – roughly 8-10 minutes. Now slather all sides of the ribs with the slather, turning every minute or so, for another 3-4 minutes until shiny and glazed.

Pull the meat, rest 15-20 minutes (finish the toppings), and grill the onion wedges in the meantime (trim off the root end when finished to separate the rings).

Now cut the short ribs into 1/3-inch pieces against the grain, and build that short rib taco drizzling a bit more of the adobo slather on to finish.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Smokey Chipotle Coffee Rub

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As I’ve shared in many of our recipes over the past year, we’re enthusiastic fans of big flavors around our camp, and have rarely come across a spice rub we didn’t enjoy.

For years now we’ve played with a variety of rubs (and sauces & marinades) featuring coffee in one form or another, and this Smokey Chipotle Coffee Rub has come to be our very favorite coffee based rub for most proteins – it’s absolutely wonderful on beef and pork.

As with most spice mixtures, using the freshest spices you can get your hands on yields the best results, as does grinding the coffee beans just before use (if you’re geared to do so). Chipotle peppers bring such a nifty smokey flavor to the flavor game here and it plays incredibly well with the coffee notes; using a good smoked paprika adds another layer of flavor as well.

As we’ve become Primal/Paleo aligned in 99% of our cooking, I’ve taken to leaving the brown sugar out or cutting it down, though both my wife and can taste the difference, and frankly you can count us among the crowd that considers a whisp of sugar in a marinade or rub a reasonable indulgence now and again.

Try this one using the core five spices at least once, and experiment with the optional flavors listed as well, or throw your favorites into the mix next time around. I used this on a couple of grass-fed New York strips last weekend….

2 parts dark roast or espresso coffee, finely ground
2 parts fresh chipotle chile powder
2 parts kosher salt
1 part ground coriander
1 part good paprika (try a smoked paprika here too)

Optional
1 part brown sugar
1/2 part freshly ground black pepper
1/2 part garlic power/granulated garlic
1/2 part powdered ginger

Combine the 5 core ingredients (the first in the list) along with whatever optional ingredients you’d like to throw in the mix. Stir to mix well.

Rub your protein generously with the rub and let rest for at least an hour (in the fridge if longer).

Grill/roast/smoke per your routine; the NY strips I did this past weekend were some of the best steaks we’ve done in a long time – one hour at 129 in the sous vide followed by a quick sear over hardwood charcoal. Hot damn.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salsa Monday: Quick Chipotle Table Salsa

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Friends back home in Montana tease us about having picked up some seemingly bizarre regional food tastes growing up in Texas, but they always enjoy the fresh “table salsas” we often serve with our main meals; in fact, if it’s not on the table, they’re quick to ask about it. (Table salsa is a common term here in Texas, typically referring to a simple, most often tomato or tomatillo-based fresh salsa served at any TexMex joint worth going to.)

We have our favorites, or are otherwise probably serving one of our favorite guacamole recipes, though have been reaching of late for this Quick Chipotle Table Salsa, particularly when serving beef (think braised briskets, chuck roast or chuck roast steaks, and more…).

This one can be finished in 15 minutes while you’re multitasking with other tasks in the kitchen, and you can play with the heat level (more chipotles!) and even add a smidgen of sweet via the molasses (maple syrup or honey would probably work too), though we rarely do.

1-2 tbsp avocado oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp good tomato paste
1 can (14.5 ounce) fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed
1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
1-2 tsp adobo sauce from the chipotle can
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Optional
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 -3 tsp dark molasses

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; sauté the onion until softened and just beginning to caramelize around the edges. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so.

Now add the tomato paste, the chopped chipotle(s), the ancho chile powder if using, and the adobo, stir into the onion mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes until darkened slightly. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, stir to mix well, and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.

Remove from the heat, let cool for 5 minutes or so, add the vinegar and molasses (if using), then blend until mostly smooth with an immersion blender (or in your trusty blender). Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to your palate.

Enjoy.