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Overhead view of Chili Roasted Short Rib Paella

Chili Roasted Short Rib Paella

The short ribs braise low and slow until they fall from the bone, then the meat and its sauce turn a pan of rice into an Americanized paella — Jorj's own words: “remove the short rib meat from the bones in big chunks. Place rice into the bottom of a paella pan (or shallow baking dish). Layer the meat on top of the rice.” Portobello mushrooms and peas go on top, and the pan bakes until the rice plumps.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American South
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

The Chili Roasted Short Ribs
  • 8 beef short ribs, about 3 to 4 pounds (choose ribs that are thick and meaty)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
  • 1 cup or more unbleached all-purpose flour for dredging
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large red onion, diced, about 1 cup
  • 2 large carrots, peeled, trimmed and diced, about 1 cup
  • 2 medium celery ribs, diced, about 1 cup
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced, about ¼ cup
  • 2 large jalapeño peppers, seeded, veins removed, diced, about 2 tablespoons
  • 1 (750 mL) bottle red wine
  • 1 quart homemade or prepared low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 cup tomato paste
  • 1 cup prepared chili sauce
  • 1 large chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and diced, about 2 tablespoons
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • Chopped, fresh cilantro
The Paella Assembly
  • White rice, uncooked, enough to cover the bottom of the pan
  • Portobello mushrooms, sliced
  • Peas
  • Additional beef broth, as needed, to keep the dish a little soupy

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or large roasting pan
  • Paella pan or shallow baking dish

Method
 

The Chili Roasted Short Ribs
  1. Preheat the oven to 250°. Season the ribs with chili powder, salt and pepper.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large roasting pan over medium high heat. Dredge each rib in flour, shaking off the excess. Place each rib into the oil and brown on all sides. Remove the ribs to a platter.
  3. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and jalapeño to the pan. Cook until the veggies are soft.
  4. Pour in the wine and beef broth. Stir in the tomato paste, chili sauce and chipotle pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil.
  5. Return the ribs and any juices on the platter to the pan. Bury the cinnamon sticks in the sauce.
  6. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid or place aluminum foil over the pan. Place the pan into the oven and cook until the meat is tender and pulling away from the bone, about 6 to 7 hours.
  7. Remove the pan from the oven and uncover. Place the ribs onto a platter and spoon the sauce over top. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.
The Paella Assembly
  1. Remove the short rib meat from the bones in big chunks.
  2. Place the rice into the bottom of a paella pan (or shallow baking dish). Layer the meat on top of the rice.
  3. Place slices of Portobello mushrooms on top of the beef. Sprinkle with peas.
  4. Pour the sauce from the braised short ribs over everything. Add extra beef broth if needed — you want everything to be a little soupy.
  5. Bake at 300° for thirty minutes, or until the rice is plumped. Bring the pan to the table and dig in.

Notes

Adapted from Jorj's own Chili Roasted Beef Short Ribs (Sunday Best Dishes) and her blog post "Americanized Paella: Heaven in a Pan" (2017). The base short rib braise is fully measured and twice-verified against the printed cookbook. The paella assembly is written exactly as she described it — by eye, not by cup — because that is how she wrote it; no quantities have been invented for the rice, mushrooms, or peas.