What's Cooking? Dodo's Banging Beef Short Rib Chilli Recipe

There’s something incredibly rewarding about sharing a beloved family recipe, especially when it’s filled with memories and love. This week, my niece has been staying with me, and she has been persistent in asking for my famous Beef Short Rib Chilli recipe. I have been reliably informed by several of my daughters friends that my chilli is "banging" and many have asked for the recipe, yet I've always resisted sharing it, because the ingredients tend to change a little each time I make it, so somehow it never feels like a proper recipe.

But since my niece has reminded to me write it down for her at least 30 times since Wednesday, I've finally relented and put it down to paper, at least the version I made for her this week anyway ... And well, now I've got it down on paper, I may as well set Dodo's Banging Beef Short Rib Chilli free on here too ... The Dodo part being my Sisters kids family nickname for me. I have and will always be Dodo, rather than Aunty Jo, ... A name given to me when they were small. They are all grown up now, but the family moniker has stuck. I love the names that little people bring into the family, my own kids have certainly added a few interesting ones into the mix.

Whether making it for a family gathering, a cosy night in, or simply to satisfy your taste buds, I hope this chilli recipe becomes a treasured part of your cooking collection too. So let’s jump into this chilli recipe, which carries a lovely legacy of warmth, laughter, and of course, a kick of spice!

Dodo x

Dodo's Banging Beef Short Rib Chilli Recipe

Ingredients:

Beef short ribs

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp flour

1 Fajita Mix

Salt & Pepper

1 Red onion cut into wedges

1 Packet of Chilli & Honey Paste (I used Capsicana)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 x Beef Stock Pots

500ml hot water

1 whole head of garlic, top sliced off, leaving the bulb intact

1 tsp ground hot sweet paprika

¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tin of tomatoes

1/2 tsp honey (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 150/160C and heat the oil in a large casserole pot.

Combine the flour and fajita mix with salt and pepper on a plate and roll the short ribs around in it to coat. Keep the remaining flour and put to one side.

Brown the ribs in the heated oil on each side and remove from the pot. Now add the onions to the pot and put in the remaining flour on the plate, you will probably need to add more olive oil to make sure the flour and spices do not burn. Stir and fry until the onions start to soften.

In a jug mix together the stock pots, chilli & honey paste, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce in the hot water.

Return the ribs to the casserole pot, add in the stock water and place the whole head of garlic in the pot. Heat on the hob until bubbling. Now place lid on the pot and put into the oven until the meat is falling off the bones - 3-4 hours. Check the pot periodically, you may need to add a little water if the liquid appears too thick.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and remove ribs from the pot to shred the meat, but leave the onions in the pot. Leave the meat to one side. Remove the garlic from the pot and carefully squeeze the soft garlic out of each clove. Now blend the onions and garlic into the chilli sauce and season. Check for taste, at this point I generally add some more spices such as, hot sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, coriander and cumin. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of ginger or 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add the tomatoes and return the meat to the pot and heat through on the hob. Taste again, sometimes a chilli can taste a little bitter from the spices, if this is the case add 1/2tsp honey.