It’s finally gotten cold in Chicago which means it’s the perfect time for whipping out that Dutch oven and braising something delicious! On a recent day off, I called my mom to ask for her recipe of Short Ribs with Chili Biscuits, and set out to see if could create a dish half as good as I remember hers to be.
While this dish requires a lot of patience – it take about 4.5 hours, start to finish – it gives off an intoxicating smell and the ribs are incredibly tender and flavorful. This is a stick-to-your-ribs, it’s-snowing-out, let’s-watch-movies, one-pot-wonder. This isn’t the type of dish you decide to make after work (unless eating late is your thing!), so start mid-morning and prepare yourself to enjoy a memorable and hearty dinner. It makes enough for 6-8 servings, so either invite your friends over, or enjoy the leftovers. The best part is that you don’t even need to make a side because you’ve got your carrots and potatoes cooked in the dish and the biscuits baked on top. I hope you enjoy the dish as much as I do!
I found that this recipe made more biscuits than needed, which was a good thing because my boyfriend insisted that they would be good for breakfast, and he was right! They made an incredible egg sandwich the next day, or can be used in a short rib hash.
Short Ribs With Chili Biscuits
For the Short Ribs:
3 pounds Beef Short Ribs – Cut into 1-inch pieces (bone-in)
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 onions, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
32 ounces, canned tomatoes, undrained
2 cups, beef broth
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cayenne (you can alter this based on your spice tolerance!)
1/3 tsp black pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp turmeric
10 sprigs parsley, tied
2 slices lemon
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into one inch pieces
1 lb carrots, cut into one inch pieces (no need to peel!)
For the Chili Biscuits:
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbs parsley, minced
1/3 cup chilled shortening (I put mine in the freezer when I start the ribs!)
¾ cup milk
For the ribs:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat grapeseed oil in Dutch oven. Sear ribs on all sides until brown (about 10 minutes).
3. Remove ribs, and add onions and garlic to Dutch oven. Cook until lightly carmelized.
4. Add the ribs back to the pan and add tomatoes, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, cayenne, pepper, paprika, turmeric, parley and lemon.
5. Stir to combine. Cover and bake for 2 hours.
6. Add potatoes and carrots and bake covered for another 1.5 hours.
7. Discard tied parsley and lemon.
8. Season to taste.
I start the biscuit dough about 3 hours in so that they are ready to go once the ribs have cooked for 3.5 hours.
For the biscuits:
1. Melt butter in pan and cook onion and garlic on medium heat, until soft (about 10 minutes). Let cool.
2. Stir flour, chili powder, and salt in large bowl.
3. Add parmesan and parsley.
4. Cut in cold shortening with fork (or pastry blender if you’re fancy!) until the mixture is coarse.
5. Add in cooled onion mixture.
6. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the milk.
7. Stir until just combined.
8. Turn biscuit dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute.
9. Roll dough to ½ inch thickness and cut into 2-3 inch circles. (I used a glass because I didn’t have a round cutter readily available.)
10. Top ribs with biscuits.
11. Increase heat to 425 degrees, and bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until the biscuits are brown.
If you enjoyed this recipe, check out The Chopping Block's Braising Boot Camp at the Merchandise Mart on February 25th! If demos are more your style, and you’d like to see some more dutch ovens in actions, check out Cold-Weather Soups and Stews at Lincoln Square. We have three sessions to choose from:
Or if someone’s on the extra nice list, get them a Le Creuset Dutch oven this holiday season. We have lots of colors and sizes to choose from!
