Slow-braised Short Rib Tacos with pickled red onion
Slow-braised short rib tacos served with salsa roja, pickled onions and creamy avocado are simply mouth watering.
Table of Contents
Ingredients needed
I flavored the beef with onion, garlic, taco seasoning and fresh jalapeños but you could add a one or two chipotles with a few tablespoons of adobo sauce for extra smokiness if you preferred. Dried chillies/chiles like guajillo or ancho chiles will also work well.
- Beef short ribs.
- Onion.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Taco seasoning. I make my own taco seasoning but you can use any store-bought spice mix containing cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, etc.
- Salt and black pepper.
- Fresh jalapeño.
- Beef stock/beef broth.
For the salsa roja
The salsa Rosa adds incredible flavor to the tacos but you can use any salsa/sauce of your choice on these tacos.
- Ripe tomatoes.
- Red onion.
- Jalapeño pepper.
- Garlic cloves.
- Cilantro/coriander.
- Lime juice.
- Olive oil.
- Salt.
For the tacos
- Tortillas. I used corn tortillas but flour tortillas work just as well.
- Pickled red onions.
- Avocado slices.
How to make short rib tacos (Summary)
- Slow braise the short ribs: Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels then season generously with salt and black pepper. Preheat a large, deep braised or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat then add the ribs in batches, searing for a few minutes until brown on both sides. Add the remaining aromatics and spices then pour in the stock. Close with a lid then place in the oven and allow to braise for 3 hours or until the short ribs are fall-apart tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before shredding the meat. Discard any excess fat and bones. The beef can be cooked in a slow cooker or Instant Pot until it shreds easily, too.
- Make the pickled onions: While the meat is braising, make the pickled onions according to recipe instructions.
- Make the salsa roja: Place all the ingredients for the salsa in a baking dish then place in the oven and allow to roast for 30-45 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and the skin is blistered and slightly charred. Remove from the oven, discard the jalapeño stems then transfer all the tomatoes, onions, etc to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more lime or salt.
- Assemble the tacos: Heat tortillas over an open flame or in a hot pan. Add a generous amount of short rib meat to each tortilla then top with avocado, a generous spoon of salsa roja and some pickled onions. Serve immediately.
Can I make this in advance?
The short ribs can be braised up to 4 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge of frozen for up to 3 months. The salsa can be made 2 weeks ahead and the pickled onions will last in the fridge for up to one month.
Taco recipes
Slow-braised short rib tacos with pickled red onion
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg (3lb) beef short ribs
- 2 red onions, quartered
- 5 peeled garlic cloves
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers
- 2 tbsp taco spice
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1.5 liters (6 cups) beef stock
for the salsa roja
- 2 cups tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 red onion quartered
- 1 jalapeno roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 3 tbsp cilantro/coriander
- 1-2 tsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
To serve
- tortillas
- pickled red onions
- avocado slices
- fresh chopped chillies
- fresh coriander/cilantro
Instructions
Braise the beef
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels then season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Preheat a large, deep braised or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat then add the ribs in batches, searing for a few minutes until brown on both sides. Allowing the beef to develop a deep brown crust will add incredible depth of flavor to the finished braised beef.
- Add the remaining aromatics and spices then pour in the stock.
- Close with a lid then place in the oven and allow to braise for 3 hours or until the short ribs are fall-apart tender. (The beef can be cooked in a slow cooker or Instant Pot until it shreds easily, too.)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before shredding the meat. Discard any excess fat and bones.
For the pickled onions
- While the meat is braising, make the pickled onions according to recipe instructions.
For the salsa roja
- Place the tomatoes, onions, jalapeño and garlic in a baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt. Place in the oven and allow to roast for 30-45 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and the skin is blistered and slightly charred.
- Remove from the oven, discard the jalapeño stems then transfer all the tomatoes, onions, etc to a blender or food processor with the coriander/cilantro and lime juice then blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more lime or salt.
Assemble the tacos
- Heat tortillas over an open flame or in a hot pan.
- Add a generous amount of short rib meat to each tortilla then top with avocado, a generous spoon of salsa roja and some pickled onions.
- Serve immediately.