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J. Kenji López-Alt's The Best Chili

Name: J. Kenji López-Alt's The Best Chili
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 6-8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 lbs bone-in beef short ribs; 6 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded; 4 dried guajillo chiles; 2 dried chipotle chiles; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 4 anchovy fillets; 1 onion, quartered; 6 garlic cloves; 1 cup dried beans (soaked overnight); 2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds

Using bone-in short ribs, dried chiles, and umami bombs like soy sauce and anchovies, this is the chili that redefined what the dish can be. No chili powder; every flavour is built from scratch.

★★★★☆4.5 · 0 reviews

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By J. Kenji López-Alt · Serious Eats

⏱

Cook Time

🥩

Beef Short Ribs

Protein

📍

New England

Region

Heat Level

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Hot

Community Score

4.5

★★★★☆

0 reviews

Community Photos

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Ingredients

3 lbs bone-in beef short ribsAmazon ↗

6 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seededAmazon ↗

4 dried guajillo chilesAmazon ↗

2 dried chipotle chilesAmazon ↗

2 tbsp soy sauceAmazon ↗

4 anchovy filletsAmazon ↗

1 onion, quarteredAmazon ↗

6 garlic clovesAmazon ↗

1 cup dried beans (soaked overnight)Amazon ↗

2 tsp cumin seedsAmazon ↗

1 tsp coriander seedsAmazon ↗

Steps

Toast dried chiles in dry skillet until fragrant, then rehydrate in hot water

Blend rehydrated chiles with soaking liquid, soy sauce, and anchovies

Brown short ribs on all sides in a Dutch oven, set aside

Sauté onion and garlic until soft, add toasted whole spices

Add chile paste, beans, meat and enough water to cover

Braise at 300°F for 3-4 hours until ribs are falling off the bone

Pull meat off bones, shred and return to pot, adjust seasoning

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