Slow Cooker Short Rib Mole Chili with Poblanos and Butternut Squash
This easy-to-prepare mole chili sings with complex flavors from dried chilis, roasted poblanos, dark beer, molasses, dark chocolate and almonds.
Equipment
- large skillet or dutch oven
- slow cooker (at least 7 quart or larger)
Ingredients
- 1-½ tablespoons Mexican chili powder
- 1 tablespoons Ancho chili powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano Mexican oregano preferred
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3.5 pounds boneless short ribs or 5 lbs. bone-in – see notes
- salt and pepper
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cups cubed ½” butternut squash
- 2 poblano peppers roasted, peeled, seeded and deveined, and diced
- 28 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 15.5 ounces can black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 chipotle pepper diced + 1 teaspoon adobo
- ⅓ cup instant espresso
- 12- ounces bottle stout beer
- ⅓ cup ground toasted almonds
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Garnish
- 2 cups cheddar/Jack Cheese
- sour cream
- jalapeno Slices
- sliced avocado
- chopped cilantro
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Generously salt and pepper short ribs and in batches, brown on all sides, removing to slow-cooker.
- Sprinkle the short ribs with ⅓ of the spice mixture.
- Add the squash, onion and poblano pepper and sprinkle with a ⅓ of the spice mixture.
- Add the tomatoes and the beans and sprinkle with the remaining spice mixture.
- In a large measuring cup, mix the chicken broth, chipotle, adobo, tomato paste and espresso and pour over slow-cooker ingredients. Pour the beer over all.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker, set it to medium and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- An hour prior to finishing, remove the short ribs from the mixture and shred the beef from the bone using two forks.
- Add the ground almonds, chocolate and maple syrup to the slow cooker contents and combine. Mix in the shredded beef, salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook for up to an hour.
- Serve in bowls with any mixture of chedder/Jack cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, jalapeno slices, cilantro, and hot sauce if desired.
Notes
If you are using boneless short ribs, a 7 quart slow cooker will hold the ingredients tightly. If you decide to use bone in short ribs, it is recommended to use an 8 to 10 quart slow cooker.
*To roast a poblano peppers in the oven, preheat your oven to around 400°F - 425°F, place the whole pepper on a baking sheet, and roast for 10-20 minutes, or until the skin is blistered and charred on all sides; then let the pepper cool slightly, put it in a paper bag or plastic wrap to "sweat", making the skin easier to peel off before removing the seeds and stem.