Servings
Font
Back
5.0 from 9 votes

Guajillo-Braised Beef Short Rib Tacos

Not all tacos are created equal. These Guajillo-Braised Beef Short Rib Tacos are the crème de la crème of beef tacos. If you want a spicy and sophisticated taco filling, look no further than these slow-cooked, braised short rib tacos!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs 15 mins
Total Time
3 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 16 tacos; 4 to 6 servings
Calories: 347 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 8 guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 3 dried chipotle chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs see notes
  • 1 large yellow onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle Negro Modelo or other dark Mexican beer
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ tablespoons dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
  • ½ cup water
  • 16 corn tortillas warmed, for serving
  • Chopped white onion, chopped fresh cilantro, salsa of choice, and lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Working in two batches if necessary to avoid crowding, lightly toast all of the chiles in a dry, heavy skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds on each side, until fragrant but not blackened. Set them aside on a plate.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, working in batches to avoid crowding, add the meat and sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until the pieces have formed a uniformly browned crust. Add more oil to the pot as needed to prevent scorching. As the pieces are ready, set them aside on a plate.
  4. Add the onion to the same same pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  5. Pour in the beer, add the toasted chiles, and turn down the heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the chiles have softened and are pliable. Remove from the heat and let cool.
  6. Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and reserve the pot. Add the cumin, pepper, oregano, salt, and water to the blender and blend the mixture on high speed until smooth and the consistency of cream, adding more water if needed to thin the mixture a bit.
  7. Return the seared meat to the pot and pour in the chile mixture. Cover, transfer to the oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
  8. Remove from the oven and, using tongs or a couple of forks, shred the meat in the pot. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed. Serve with the tortillas, onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime.

Notes

  • Adapted from Tacolicious
  • You can ask your butcher to bone the ribs for you, or you can just cook them with the bone in and then bone them before shredding the meat. You’ll need 5 pounds of bone-in short ribs to yield the required 3 pounds of meat.
  • This dish can be on the spicy side, so if you’re really sensitive to heat cut back a little on the chiles.
  • This recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US). If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt! The type of salt will make a big difference in how salty your food tastes, so keep that in mind.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1taco Calories 347kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 48mg (16%) Sodium 352mg (15%) Potassium 164mg (5%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 16tacos; 4 to 6 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 347

% Daily Value*

Serving 1taco
Calories 347kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 15g 5%
Protein 10g 20%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 352mg 15%
Potassium 164mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.