By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 3 hours
- Rating
- 5(520)
- Notes
- Read community notes
These are fairly high-brow nachos, topped with a mountain of soft, spicy, chile-braised short ribs run through with rivers of molten cheese, above hillocks of guacamole; soft mounds of salsa; creamy pools of sour cream. They're a little more halftime show than Super Bowl, and that's okay: The showmanship here is matched by the flavor.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 12 servings
- 4pounds bone-in beef short ribs, patted dry
- 5teaspoons coarse kosher salt, more to taste
- 1½teaspoons black pepper
- 5garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 2jalapeño or serrano peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded if desired
- 1onion, peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 1(28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
- ½cup coarsely chopped cilantro stems, and ¼ cup chopped leaves
- 2teaspoons dried oregano
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2tablespoons chile powder, to taste
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- 2teaspoons ground coriander
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 1(12-ounce) bottle Mexican lager, like Negra Modelo
- 1(13-ounce) package corn tortilla chips
- 8ounces white Cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)
- 4avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1½cups store-bought fresh salsa, preferably salsa verde
- 1cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- Hot sauce, optional
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
1255 calories; 103 grams fat; 39 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 46 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 1226 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season short ribs with 3 teaspoons salt and the black pepper. Let rest while you prepare sauce.
Step
2
Place a large, dry Dutch oven over high heat. Add garlic, peppers and onion to the dry pan. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly charred all over, about 10 minutes.
Step
3
Transfer garlic, peppers and onion to a blender. Add tomatoes with juice, cilantro stems, oregano and 1 teaspoon salt. Purée until smooth.
Step
4
Return Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Sear short ribs in batches, until well-browned all over, about 20 minutes. Transfer browned ribs to a bowl.
Step
5
Stir chile powder, cumin and coriander into pot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it begins to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomato-pepper purée and beer and bring to a simmer. Return short ribs to pot, cover and transfer to oven. Bake for 1½ hours, then uncover pot, give meat a stir, and continue baking until ribs are fork tender and falling off bone, 30 to 45 minutes longer, for a total cooking time of 2 to 2¼ hours. (If you have time, let short ribs mixture cool, refrigerate overnight, then remove fat before proceeding.)
Step
6
Once ribs are cool enough to handle, remove from pot, reserving sauce. Shred meat and discard bones and gristle. If sauce seems thin, simmer on stove until it thickens enough to coat a wooden spoon. Return meat to pot.
Step
7
Heat broiler. Spread tortilla chips on a rimmed baking sheet. Top evenly with meat and sauce. Sprinkle cheese over the top. Broil until hot and cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step
8
In a small bowl, mash together avocados, lime juice and 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
Step
9
Dollop avocado, salsa and sour cream over hot nachos and drizzle with hot sauce if desired. Scatter the chopped cilantro leaves over top.
Ratings
5
out of 5
520
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Cooking Notes
Eminence Grise
Great recipe, simple to execute with excellent results. The meat can be used in other dishes too like a filling for baked potatos. I've done this recipe few times and got better results by lowering oven temp by 15 degrees and adding 40 mins extra cooking time--as usual, low and slow produces best results. Nine meat was more tender and sauce acquired deeper flavour.
Clara
Wonderful recipe! Definitely make sure to take your time charring the aromatics and and browning the meat, because that is where the flavor comes from.
I made this for my birthday party and now my friends think I am a fabulous cook. A winner!
Laura
So good--a true halftime show stopper--but I've also made the short ribs as a taco filling and almost preferred them that way. Not quite as bacchanalian, though, if that's what you're looking for :)
Shivang
I used the instant pot for the whole process and put in for 55 min. Turned out amazing. I turned up the chile, garlic, cilantro content.
Anython
Made this as a more defined snack/appetizer by using mini tortilla bowls instead of a party-bake, nacho format. Brushed the tortilla bowls in melted butter with cilantro during their 10-min pre-bake, and then assembled later with chile, cheese, and suggested toppings. Everyone loved it.
Ljfbos
Great recipe, but avoid a few mistakes I made: I minced garlic (rather than smashing) and it burned when I sautéed with the vegetables; also, I should have lowered flame on stove before adding spices and tomato paste. Again, lots of burning when I added them. Still, it all came out delicious! Just took two days to get all the burn out of my Dutch oven!
Meaux
Made this with beef cheeks instead of short ribs - super delicious! Extended the cooking time and added a little more liquid including lime juice, served as tacos with the same accompaniments.
Dave
This was a hit. I made it just like the video except we had to do some errands so I did an hour at 350, then 4 hours at 250 and they were so tender, I just pulled the bones and chunks of fat out of it. I refrigerated it overnight then layered them on top of the chips on a large sheet pan. We doubled the cheese and let it get a little color till it was almost bubbly. We spooned mild green salsa on top, then ribbons of sour cream, dolloped guac all over and topped with finely chopped cilantro.
Eric Phillips
This was fantastic. Make it ahead - always better the second time you warm it up. If it needs moisture add some chicken stock. Pair with Melissa Clark's buttery corn muffins and you have a football party right there.
Lonnie Mando
Great recipe, but just follow the first 6 steps and then make tacos. This recipe absolutely does not need cheese in any capacity. Make your beef then put it in tacos with guac.
yvonne martin-kidd
I made this when I first saw it years ago...it has become my go to SuperBowl meal; it never disappoints. It is head and shoulders above any ordinary nachos.....
Charles
I hope this isn’t too silly or simple of a question, but could I serve this simply as a chili, and not as short rib nachos?
mandypantz
Skipped the nacho part - omitting the cheese and salsa - and just packed this incredible saucy rib business into taco shells with the avocado and cilantro - SO good. Mixed leftovers with a can of kidney beans to stretch them, and even that made a fantastically rich and flavorful taco filling. Yum!
Julia P.
After reading through all the comments, I decided to save my dutch oven from the charred vegetables and use my cast iron skillet for that step. It worked perfectly because I could brown the short ribs while the vegetables were. I also decided to do 300 degrees for three hours. That was perfect - the meat was literally falling off the bones. We had this for dinner last night, and my husband is still talking about it! Oh, I also made this for tacos, not nachos.
Laura
Made these on Saturday to have as tacos on Sunday. Delicious even though I forgot to add the beer. Cooked it in our cast iron Dutch oven.
SaraB
FYI, if you have an enameled dutch oven (like le creuset) the high heat pepper/onion/garlic step can melt the coating/paint/enamel on the bottom of the pot. Delicious recipe but sad discovery.
DRC PGH
I've made this often. Recently made it with chuck instead of ribs; this yielded the same dish at half the price. Two other adaptions: after browning the meat, saute mire poix in the pan- half a cup each of chopped onions, carrots and celery add sweetness. Next, make a paste from dried ancho and poblano chiles: dry roast 2 of each until fragrant, about 5 minutes, remove to bowl and cover with boiling water to soften. Puree these with soaking water, garlic, and a chili in adobo sauce. Add 2 tbls
Steve
Served this to my family as just chili without the nachos and we all Loved it. Also had a slight burning problem with aromatics and tomato paste but turned out delicious. Ended up baking for about an hour uncovered to further tenderize the short ribs which were then super tender and easy to pull apart. Added chili beans as we love chili with beans. Was delicious.
phillycook
This is the only way I make short ribs now. It is so good. Can also use the chili in lots of ways besides nachos. But the nachos are fantastic!
Laurie A.
I love nachos so had to try this recipe. Although it is definitely more time consuming than most nachos it is definitely worth the wait! The green salsa is a great addition. Adding this to the rotation, especially during the winter for weekend movie and sports nights on the couch!
Matthew
Tried to halve this for couple's night with 3lbs of boneless short ribs and am now watching my husband assemble. We cooked in our Dutch Oven, which scorched so badly during initial stages that I'm already anticipating a gargantuan cleanup effort prior to consumption. Calorie conscious, we nixed the guac and sour cream for fresh additions: diced tomatoes, red onion, jalapenos; sriracha, more salsa. Lots of leftover sauce, but very good. I'd advise to have all the spices measured and ready to add.
Elizabeth Armstrong
Also let the beef/chili sit a couple of days—which mellowed and deepened the flavor
Elizabeth Armstrong
Wow! Made this pretty much as written, except I had closer to 2 lbs of boneless short ribs, which left me with extra sauce (to use later with boneless chicken thighs?). Served it in quesadilla rather than nacho form—cheese, beef, a squeeze of lime on the inside; avocado, salsa (tomato, bc I had some nice ones), sour cream, extra cilantro, lime, and jalapeño slices as garnishes. It’s a show-stopper—will definitely make it again. Thx for this one!!!
DebGal
This was fabulous! Was a big hit for game day, hubby and teen boys gobbled it up. Only change was did not make guac - not a favorite here, and we increased the cheese and also made a queso for topping off the nachos! Definitely will be making again!
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