Braised Short Rib

Fermented Chiles, Mole Beef Jus, Beef Fat-Roasted Carrots, Carrot Purée. Sunflower Sprouts, Mustard Greens

Chef Matt Harper of Kensington Quarters | Philadelphia
Yield: 4 servings

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Adapted by StarChefs | April 2019

INGREDIENTS:

Fermented Chiles:
Ají dulce chiles, thinly sliced into rounds
Salt

Short Ribs: 
4 portions bone-in short rib
2 tablespoons salt
Neutral oil
1 head garlic, smashed and peeled
1 onion, thinly sliced 
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 quarts dry red wine
2 quarts beef stock
3 bay leaves

Mole Beef Jus: 
4 guajillo chiles
4 pasilla chiles
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground aniseed
4 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped 
2 tablespoons honey
Salt

Beef Fat-roasted Carrots:
2 tablespoons rendered dry-aged beef fat
2 bunches baby carrots, tops trimmed
1 head garlic, halved
1 bunch thyme
1 bay leaf

Carrot Purée: 
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, cloves thinly sliced
Salt
1 ounce butter, softened
2 tablespoon heavy cream

To Assemble and Serve:
Sunflower sprouts
Frilly mustard greens

METHOD:

For the Fermented Chiles:
Scale chiles and place in a sanitized fermentation crock or mason jar. By weight of the chiles, add 3 percent salt. Place a weight on top and ferment 4 to 7, or until desired flavor is achieved.

For the Short Ribs:
Season ribs with salt, cover, and rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Heat oven to 300°F. In a large dutch oven over medium-high flame, heat oil. Sear rib 3 to 4 minutes on both sides, until deeply browned. Remove ribs from pot, decrease heat, add garlic and onion and cook 5 minutes, until caramelized. Add peppercorns and coriander; toast 1 minute. Deglaze with wine, scraping up the fond. Add stock, bay leaves, and ribs. Bring to simmer, cover, and braise in oven 2 to 3 hours, until fork tender. Cool ribs in liquid. Strain through a chinois, reserving ribs and  braising liquid separately. Keep warm. 

For the Mole Beef Jus:
To a large pot, add 3 quarts reserved braising liquid. Over medium heat, reduce by three-quarters, skimming to remove excess fat and impurities. Hydrate chiles in warm water for 3 minutes or until soft; remove seeds and stems. In a Vitamix blender, purée chiles, adding a small amount of the hydration liquid, if necessary. Add oregano and spices and blend to a smooth paste. Transfer paste to pot with the reduced braising liquid, along with chocolate and honey. Stir until smooth and season with salt. Keep warm.  

For the Beef Fat-roasted Carrots:
Heat oven to 400°F. In a large sauté pan over high flame, heat fat and add remaining ingredients, tossing to evenly coat carrots. Pan-roast 10 to 15 minutes, until carrots soften and start to brown. Keep warm.  

For the Carrot Purée: 
In a sautoir over low flame, heat oil and sweat vegetables 4 to 5 minutes, seasoning with 1 tablespoon salt. Add ½ cup water, cover, and cook until vegetables are mushy. Transfer to a Vitamix blender and purée, add butter and cream. When emulsified, season with salt. Keep warm.  

To Assemble and Serve:
Plate Short Rib in the upper right-hand quadrant of a large serving plate and spoon a generous amount of Mole Beef Jus on top. Garnish with Fermented Chiles and sunflower sprouts. On the left portion of the plate, spoon 3 small, loose quenelles of Carrot Purée, arrange Beef Fat-roasted Carrots around quenelles, and partially cover with mustard greens.

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