Best Ever Short Rib Chili is a unique and elevated spin on your traditional chili recipe that is full of flavor and complimented with a horseradish sour cream.
Best Ever Short Rib Chili
This unique and delicious recipe is a clash of my Braised Short Ribs and Slow Cooker Classic Chili recipes. The amazingly flavorful braised short ribs are cooked in a yummy braising liquid, then shredded and combined with some more traditional chili flavors and ingredients. The combination is so good! Then we top it all off with some creamy Horseradish Sour Cream!
Looking for More Chili Recipes?
If you love a big bowl of chili as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Bison Chili!
Why This Recipe Works
- Braised Short Ribs: short ribs are perfect for braising because they are naturally a more tough cut of meat, BUT once they are braised the meat just falls off the bone and is so incredibly flavorful.
- Classic Chili Flavors: the tomato-base of the braising liquid compliments the tomato base of a classic chili so well! The two meld together perfectly.
- Horseradish Sour Cream: I love how this brings the whole recipe together! That tiny bite of horseradish just pairs beautifully with the short ribs – of course you can always omit if you want!
What You Will Need
- kosher salt + ground black pepper + fennel seed: this is what we are combining to make a rub for the short ribs.
- olive oil (or ghee): this is used to coat the pan before searing the short ribs.
- beef short ribs (English cut): I am telling you all … these are the highest quality of short ribs and they are amazing.
- beef broth: this will deglaze the pan after searing the short ribs.
- celery + carrots + leeks: these veggies have so much flavor.
- tomato paste + diced tomatoes + red wine (or pomegranate juice): this makes up the braising liquid.
- garlic: because you pretty much always have to have garlic!
- oregano + thyme + paprika + basil + rosemary + bay leaf: these seasonings compliment each other so well here.
- red kidney beans: because it is still chili!
- Mushrooms (optional):
- can whole tomatoes: add these in with the juices and then cut into large chunks. You can substitute diced tomatoes if you want.
- chili powder: feel free to adjust this amount, as needed.
- coconut sugar: just adds a tiny touch of sweetness to round out the flavor.
How To Make Short Rib Chili
Pat the short ribs dry and then combine your salt, pepper and fennel in a small bowl. Rub the short ribs all over.
Sear short ribs on all sides in a large Dutch Oven (I used a 5.5qt).
Prep all of the fresh veggies. Once short ribs are seared, place on a plate and set aside. Combine your braising liquid.
Add your short ribs back and place in the oven.
Remove from the oven and then take out the short ribs and place on a plate to cool; once cooled a bit you can cut up the meat and discard the bones. Add the meat back in along with the remaining ingredients.
Serve with Horseradish Sour Cream!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Pumpkin Chili
White Chicken Chili
Best Turkey Chili
Paleo Chili
Best Ever Short Rib Chili
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 45 mins
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
The most delicious Short Rib Chili Recipe, pairing braised short ribs with classic chili flavor + horseradish sour cream!
Ingredients
Short Rib Chili
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fennel seed
- 2–3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or ghee)
- 3 lbs beef short ribs (English cut)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup leeks, finely chopped
- 9 oz tomato paste
- 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes, don’t drain
- 1 (1/4 cup) red wine (or pomegranate juice)
- 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (regular paprika works too)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (15oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 8oz baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, not drained
- 3 tablespoons chili powder (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
Horseradish Sour Cream:
- 4 tablespoons sour cream (dairy-free or regular)
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Instructions
- Prep Short Ribs: Combine salt, pepper and fennel in small bowl. Rub salt/pepper/fennel mixture all over short ribs (optional: wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for an hour or overnight in the refrigerator).
- Sear Short Ribs: Bring large Dutch Oven to medium-high heat and add olive oil; swirl to coat the pan. Sear short ribs on all sides (you will need to do this in batches). Remove short ribs and place on plate; set aside.
- Make Chili: Using the same Dutch Oven, add beef broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan over a medium high heat. Add celery, carrots, leeks, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, red wine, garlic, oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, basil, bay leaf and rosemary. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes to let reduce. While the chili simmers, preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Bake: Add short ribs back into dutch oven with braising liquid. Place in oven (uncovered) and let cook for 2-3 hours. Remove from oven, take short ribs out of braising liquid and set aside on plate. Let cool slightly.
- Final Adds: Add kidney beans, mushrooms, whole tomatoes, chili powder and sugar. Mix well and use a knife to quarter the whole tomatoes. Take short ribs and remove meat from bone; Cut up into bite sized pieces and put back into the Dutch Oven. Stir together.
- Simmer: Place Dutch Oven on stove and let simmer (covered) for at least a half hour. It could simmer longer if you are making ahead of time or place in a crock pot on low until you are ready to serve.
- Serve: mix sour cream and horseradish together in a separate bowl and serve with chili.
Notes
- Mushrooms: these are optional – feel free to omit.
- Dairy-Free: feel free to use a dairy-free sour cream to make the horseradish sour cream.
- Storage: place leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Approx. 1 cup
- Calories: 343
- Sugar: 7.6 g
- Sodium: 1142.8 mg
- Fat: 14.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.3 g
- Protein: 29.6 g
- Cholesterol: 92.1 mg
Originally published November 7, 2016.
Alicia says
By far the best chili recipe ever! A lot of ingredients but the flavor is amazing. My new go to chili recipe!
Erin says
That’s awesome to hear that, Alicia!
Krysta says
I’ve made this recipe so many times and it always comes out so well! It is a bit time consuming, but even so it’s one of my favorite meals to cook. It also freezes really well, so I often freeze some of it to have on hand for dinner another time. Short ribs can be a little intimidating (haha) so I’m thankful for such a great recipe!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Krysta! And thank you so much for coming back to leave a review + rating!
AmyLynn says
OMG!!! I won first place in MY annual Chili Cookoff using this recipe!!! Thank You for he best chili recipe ever!!!!
Erin says
Oh my gosh FOR REAL! That is so awesome – so now I get to call it “award-wining chili right?! :). Thanks for sharing that with me!
Sheryl says
Really, really good! We used the Hot Pot, and it turned out terrific!
Erin says
Yay!! I am so glad you liked it! It is honestly one of my most favorite recipes on the blog – so cool it worked in a hot pot! ❤️