Short Rib Chili

Looking to take your chili game up a notch? Short Rib Chili is an easy but out of this world chili with tender short ribs, and full of beans and spices! This recipe can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, making it perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or something you can prep in the morning!

Say hello to my new favorite chili! This short rib chili is absolutely out of this world. I've always loved making short ribs, but typically I braise them in the oven for tender, fall-apart meat. Little did I know, the Instant Pot and slow cooker can do the same thing!

Short Rib Chili Ingredients

Olive Oil

Short Ribs - I love going to my local grocery store to buy short ribs, because the butcher knows the best ones to pick for me. I've also had good luck with short ribs from Costco, but they don't always have them.

Onion - I use a white onion in this recipe but a yellow onion or red onion would both work well.

Fresh Garlic - a couple of cloves of garlic are minced and added to this chili.

Tomato Paste - tomato paste adds some acidity as well as some richness to this chili.

Lager Beer

Spices - chili powder, cumin, and salt are the main spices in this recipe. Chili powder and cumin are both very traditional chili ingredients.

Crushed Tomatoes - crushed tomatoes thicken up the broth of the soup and add the classic tomato flavor to this short rib chili recipe.

Beef Broth - beef stock and beef bouillon also work great.

Beans - this recipe uses northern beans, dark pinto beans, and light pinto beans. There is definitely no shortage of beans in this short rib chili!

How to Make Short Rib Chili

Instant Pot Instructions

Brown the short ribs. Turn on the saute function of the Instant Pot. Add the olive oil and then, once hot, add the short ribs and brown each side, cooking for about 4-5 minutes. This will lend to a richer flavor to the end result. It's definitely worth the extra few minutes of prep work!

Add the onions. Saute the onions for 4-5 minutes until slightly softened. Then add the garlic and tomato paste and cook another minute.

Deglaze the Instant Pot. Add the beer to the Instant Pot to deglaze the bottom of the pot.

Add remaining ingredients. Next, the rest of the ingredients get added. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, crushed tomatoes, broth, and beans.

Cook. Tuck the short ribs back into the chili, and cook in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 40 minutes. It's amazing how 40 minutes in the Instant Pot results in the most tender short ribs! Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes and then release completely.

Shred the short ribs. Remove the short ribs from the Instant Pot and remove the meat from the bones. Shred the meat and then return to the chili.

Serve. Stir well and serve topped with your favorite toppings!

Slow Cooker Instructions

Brown the Short Ribs. you can do this in your slow cooker if it has the function to saute, or in a large pot/Dutch Oven. Add the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the short ribs on each side until browned, about 4-5 minutes each.

Add to the slow cooker. To the slow cooker, add the short ribs, onion, beer, chili powder, cumin, salt, crushed tomatoes, broth, and beans and stir to combine.

Cook. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Shred the short ribs. Remove the short ribs from the crock pot and remove the meat from the bones. Shred the meat and then return to the chili.

Serve. Stir well and serve topped with your favorite toppings!

This is seriously the most flavorful chili I have ever had and the short rib meat is amazing! I'm not sure I'll be able to go back to regular chili made with ground beef any time soon.

Short Rib Chili Tips and Variations

Prep Ahead. You can definitely prep this chili ahead of time or even make the chili ahead of time. Leftover chili is always so good! To prep ahead of time, brown the short ribs and then chop the onion in advance. Sometimes I even like to drain and rinse the beans in advance and then just store them in the fridge in a Tupperware until I'm ready to cook. Then when it's time to cook, all I have to do is assemble and there is very little prep work to do.

Freezer Friendly. You can definitely freeze leftover short rib chili! Keep the chili in a freezer safe container that is airtight. This chili will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Then when you are ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave on the defrost setting.

Add some spice. This is a pretty mild chili, with the only spice coming from the chili powder. If you would like to heat things up a bit, add some cayenne pepper. I recommend starting with ¼ teaspoon and go from there.

We served this short rib chili topped with avocado, shredded cheese, and sour cream, and I think that green onions would also be a great choice. Alongside some hot cornbread or tortilla chips and this is perfect for game day, a cool autumn evening, or a potluck!

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