Short Rib Debris Quesadillas
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The quesadilla has had quite the journey in its existence. From its humble beginnings in Mexico, to now. It’s available in just about every south of the border style restaurant in the world, from sit downs to drive thrus. I’ve come to notice that the mighty quesadilla is to adults what chicken nuggets and mac and cheese are to kids. Even the most picky eaters can always find culinary solace in the quesadilla, which does indeed make dining out a bit easier. Because again, you usually will always be able to find a quesadilla on a menu.
I tried to go a little different with this recipe. Don’t get me wrong. I love some ground meat and cheddar cheese but I wanted to try something new. And unfortunately, now that we are temporarily relegated to a small apartment where I can’t have my smoker, I’m left with braising as my go to cooking method. I admittedly went a little crazy with my braising liquid here but what the hell? You only live once. Just keep an open mind. I promise you will like the results.
As I always like to do, I used leftover black beans for my hummus. So, if you do have any leftovers, use it but I’ve included a recipe for using the canned black beans which is perfectly acceptable for this recipe. Enjoy your cooking and just don’t tell your picky eaters what’s in it.
Ingredients and Instructions
*Makes about 8 quesadillas
Short Ribs
- 1 pound beef short ribs
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Season ribs with salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin and let sit at room temp for at least a half hour.
Heat coconut oil in a large oven-proof dutch oven on medium high heat. Add ribs a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Brown ribs well on all sides then remove ribs with a slotted spoon and set aside.
While ribs are browning, work on braising liquid.
Braising Liquid
- 2 cups of cherry coke
- 2 chipotle peppers chopped (include 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce too)
- 1 tablespoon of chocolate syrup
- 1 cup of beef stock
- 1 small onion chopped
While ribs are browning, combine braising liquid ingredients in another pot and bring to a simmer. Keep warm until all the ribs are browned.
After all the ribs are brown, add braising liquid to dutch oven. Be careful here. It’ll simmer up a bit. Put ribs back in dutch oven. Cover and place in the oven. Braise for about two hours or until ribs are pull apart tender.
When ribs are done braising, remove them all with a slotted spoon and set aside. Put dutch oven on the stove top and bring to a simmer.
Allow sauce to reduce by about half (about 10 minutes).
Once meat cools a bit, shred with two forks (or some bear paws, which are really cool btw) and put the shredded meat back into the pot with reduced liquid.
Black Bean Hummus
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of tahini
While ribs are braising, make your hummus.
Combine all hummus ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Transfer to a container and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Short Rib Quesadillas
- Cooked short ribs
- 8 oz crumbled goat cheese
- Black bean hummus
- 8 inch flour tortillas (about 8)
- 4 teaspoons of butter (divided)
Heat 1/2 teaspoon of butter on medium heat in a large non-stick skillet.
Add tortilla to pan. Spread some hummus on the tortilla.
Drain shredded ribs with a slotted spoon and add to one side of the tortilla. Add crumbled goat cheese on top of that.
Fold the other side of the tortilla on top of the meat side. Cook quesadilla for about two minutes on one side until brown. Then, carefully flip quesadilla and brown the other side.
Repeat with the rest of your tortillas. Serve hot with some leftover braising liquid and sour cream.