Chocolate Braised Short Ribs

Directions

Trim excess fat off of ribs and season with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Place seasoned ribs in a bag and drizzle with fresh lemon juice. Let marinate for 1 hr.

Heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a 6 qt. Dutch oven or large skillet and brown short ribs on all sides in batches. Place browned short ribs on a pan and continue browning remainder ribs. Add olive oil to pan as needed. Set ribs aside.

Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to 6 qt. Dutch oven or large skillet and sauté onions, garlic and celery on medium heat until tender (7-10 minutes). Add cocoa powder, cumin, coriander, and ancho chili powder. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Slowly add beef stock, coffee, and molasses to onion mixture. Continue to stir cooking over medium low heat for 10 minutes.

Add ginger, brown sugar, tamari, mustard and chillies to onion mixture. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 °F (176°C). Lightly spray a 6qt casserole dish or use 6 qt. Dutch oven.

Place browned short ribs in prepared casserole dish and carefully pour liquid mixture over top. If using 6 qt. oven proof Dutch oven, add browned short ribs back to liquid and stir until coated with liquid. Cover with a lid or tin foil.

Place mixture in preheated oven on middle rack and cook for 3 hours, turning short ribs every hour.

Remove from oven and transfer short ribs to a serving dish. Cover to keep warm.

Place remaining liquid back on stove in a medium pot or leave in Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat until liquid reduces slightly (approx. 15 minutes).

For a thicker liquid: In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water. Mix together. Slowly add corn starch slurry to liquid while continuing to stir over medium low heat. Cook for 10 minutes stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and serve over short ribs.