Slow Cooker Beef Short Rib Chili
I also call this my football watching chili! I made this on Friday and then we took it to a tailgate on Saturday. It’s thick, hearty and full of rich delicious meat that will keep you full for hours! Do you tailgate when you go to games? It’s practically mandatory around here. I loved making this ahead and letting it slow cook all day Friday and then all we had to do was heat it on the grill on Saturday. Of course you can also make it for all those at home game watch days!
This was my first time to cook short ribs and I really wasn’t sure how they would turn out but they were super easy to slow cook and ended up just falling off the bones after cooking all day. And they had so much flavor. This will be one of my new favorite ways to make chili!
I sprinkled these with a bit of salt and pepper and then browned them for just 1-2 minutes per side. This help them to hold together and cook low and slow and also helped to seal in the juices a bit while they cooked. Then I tossed the onions and garlic into the still hot pan to let them caramelize. Deglazed it all with a little of the broth to get every bit of the meat from the pan and into the slow cooker!
A few more simple ingredients and you are on your way to having an amazing chili. The seasonings are almost like those of a traditional chili but we are using an ancho chili powder instead of the usual for a smokey flavor that seasons the beef perfectly.
Slow Cooker Beef Short Rib Chili
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 30 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 6 ounces strong brewed coffee
- 15 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
- 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
Instructions
- Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat
- Season ribs on both sides with a sprinkle of salt and pepper
- Place ribs in hot skillet and let sear for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side until lightly browned and crusted
- Remove ribs to slow cooker and add onions and garlic to pan
- Let cook another 2-3 minutes while stirring until they start to brown
- Add about 1/4 cup of the broth to the pan and use spatula to scrape off any remaining meat
- Add the onion, garlic and other contents of pan to slow cooker
- Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine
- Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours
- Remove ribs and shred meat from bones (should shred easily with a fork)
- Discard bones and return meat to slow cooker
- Stir to combine well and add additional seasonings or salt and pepper to taste as desired
Notes
Nutrition
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awesome!
just whipped this together in 38mins and added grilled ghost peppers and 1 tbls of liquid hickory smoke.
iam cooking on my back porch and my neighbours are having a football party so I hope this smell wofts over for an invite to me!
good luck!!!
I made this exactly per the recipe. Delicious flavor. Just too much fat from the short ribs….I will make this again and try with beef stew meat …wish me luck!
I hope the stew meat will work out better for you… be sure to let me know!
Hi. Is it suppose to be super liquidity?
Nope, it should actually be pretty thick once you have shredded the meat.
I gotta say, this turned out really liquidy and fatty for me too. I followed the recipe exactly as written. The short ribs had some extra fat on the top that I should have trimmed, which could have caused the excess fat, but that doesn’t explain all the excess liquid.
Once it cooled I stained it, which was an improvement on the texture, but still the flavor was pretty ordinary. I’m afraid I won’t be making it again, unless there’s something I missed?
KR
Hmmm, it’s hard to say what went wrong. I can understand getting short ribs that had too much fat but I’m not sure what would cause the excess liquid. Did you use bone-in short ribs? Sorry it didn’t turn out like you’d hoped!!
Hi! I made this last night in the crock pot and followed the recipe exactly as stated, except I did not add the beans till today while I was heating it up. I added one can of black beans and one can of kidney beans. This recipe is sooo good! I think the achno chili powder and adobo sauce (oh, I did add a little more of the sauce) gives it a smokey taste. My family loved this recipe!!
So glad you loved it!
I made the chili the day before without the beans. I added 1/3 teaspoon of habanero powder.
I separated the meat from the liquid and refrigerated both overnight. Next day shredded the ribs. Skimmed the far off liquid. Added two 15 oz cans of pinto beans and simmered everything.
Best chili I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to make it again.
Hi Ed!! So glad you loved it! Thanks for the great tips too, that’s perfect for making this up ahead of time!
I made this chili last night for a chili cook off today. I just woke up and it’s done! It smells wonderful and the flavor is excellent. You didn’t make any mention of the excess fat from the short ribs. I am going to let it cool and scrape off and I’m hoping it will steal the show! I added jalapeños and peppers to boot! Thanks!
Hi Nicole! Hmmm, I don’t remember there being really too much excess fat but your plan sounds like a good one. Yum, more peppers = better! 🙂 Let me know how the cook off goes!!!
Hi Jennifer,
I just made the short-rib chili. It has such good flavor! Thanks for the recipe. One suggestion is to add beans later in the process (say with an hour to go-or add more beans then) as only a few beans came through to the end.
Cindy
Hi Cindy!! Thanks! I love this recipe and I’m glad you liked it too! A great suggestion on the beans. I will give that a try next time 🙂
Looks like a great chili recipe….love coffee and chocolate in chili for depth of flavor, but true confession, I’d have to have some beans in it too. Pinto or kidney.
ooops!!! It does have beans and I forgot to list them! Black beans were my choice and I’m updating it now!
This crockpot beef chilli looks so incredibly delicious, comforting and hearty.. perfect for the weather right now! Definitely a dish I can see making an appearance on my kitchen table this week.. thanks for sharing it!
Thanks so much!
Looks absolutely fabulous! I love that you reheated this on the grill. It is one of my fave chilis – hands down.
Thank you for the wonderful inspiration!! The flavors were amazing!