Mexican-style Beef Ribs with Polenta and Charred Corn

I’m not usually a big fan of beef steaks since one day you might get a tough leathery one and the next time it might be nice and juicy. I know the result depends on the cut of meat you use and also perhaps your cooking skills, but one cut that always leaves me drooling is the beef rib. Slowly braised in its own juices, the beef rib produces meat that is always tender and falls off the bone.

Many recipes for beef ribs call for braising the meat in beef stock and wine, however I have added Mexican flavors by using some guajillo and pasilla chile peppers to the braising liquid.

dried guajillo and pasilla peppers

First, these dried peppers are briefly toasted on the stove top, then re-hydrated in hot water. This mixture is then blended with roasted tomatoes, onions and beef stock. The beef ribs are then placed in the slow cooker with the braising liquid for about 4 hours until the meat falls off the bone (or you could bake it for several hours in the oven using a covered casserole dish).

And why not serve the ribs with something different than the standard mashed potatoes? I’ve served mine on a bed of creamy polenta, surrounded by some kernels of charred corn- a mixture of some truly great flavors!

Mexican-style Beef Ribs with Polenta and Charred Corn
Print Recipe
Serves: 4 Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ingredients

4 Beef Ribs

4 dried Mexican Chiles (combination of pasilla and guajillo chiles)

2 Tomatoes, roasted

½ onion,roasted

2 garlic cloves, roasted

¼ cup hot water

½ chipotle chile in adobo sauce

2 Tbsps brown sugar

1Tbsp dried coriander

~ 1 cup Beef stock

Salt to taste

For the Creamy Polenta:

3 cups water

1 cup Polenta

1 tsp salt

½ cup thickened cream

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp butter

For the charred corn on the cob:

2 pieces of uncooked corn

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp melted butter

Coriander for garnish

Instructions

1

Pre-heat grill oven to 400 F (200 C), placing the top rack close to the heating element.

2

Slice the dried chiles in half length-wise and remove the seeds. Toast the chiles on the stovetop over medium heat; use a spatula to press them into the hot pan for a few seconds, then flip over and repeat. The chiles should change color a little as they toast. Tear the chiles into rough pieces and place into ¼ cup hot water and let soak for a few minutes; set aside.

3

Slice the tomatoes in half and place them cut-side facing down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Remove the outer skin from the onion and place it cut-side down on the baking tray, along with the two garlic cloves (leaving skin on). Sprinkle the ingredients with a little salt and some olive oil; bake in the pre-heated onion for about 10-15 minutes or until the veggies blister and turn a little black- be careful not to burn them.

4

While the veggies are roasting, prepare the beef ribs. Season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper; brown over medium-high heat, cooking each side 1-2 minutes. Set aside.

5

Remove the roasted veggies from the oven and cut out the white central core from the tomatoes and peel the skin from the garlic cloves. Place the roasted vegetables and chiles (along with the soaking liquid) into a food processor, along with the chipotle chile, brown sugar and dried coriander and pulse until smooth. Reserve ½ cup of the sauce (this will be used later as garnish for the dish) and place the remaining sauce into a slow cooker, along with the browned beef ribs. Add about 1 cup beef stock to the ingredients to form the braising liquid for the ribs. The ribs should be at least ½ covered by the braising liquid. Cover and let cook for at least 4 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Alternatively, place ingredients in a covered casserole or Dutch oven and cook for 2 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone. Add salt as required.

6

To make the Creamy Polenta, bring the water to boil on the stove top. Add a pinch of salt and the polenta. Remove from heat and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the cream, Parmesan cheese and butter until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.

7

To prepare the charred corm, remove the husks from the corn. Season with salt and pepper and brush melted butter over the corn. Grill each corn cob on the stove top over medium-high heat, turning each cob regularly to avoid burning. Continue for about 8-10 minutes until the corn is cooked through and becomes charred (be careful not to burn the corn).

8

To serve, spread about ½ cup of creamy polenta on a plate, top with one beef rib and some of the braising liquid. Spoon on a little of the reserved chile sauce onto the ribs and sprinkle some the charred corn around the plate. Garnish with some fresh coriander.