I dusted off my camera to make this post because the last time that I blogged was around this time last year. A lot of things have changed and now I’m back in the city where The Seasoning Bottle was born—Atlanta. My enthusiasm for creating recipes is renewed and I’m thrilled to connect with my readers again. It’s even more exciting that I’m kicking off this new recipe for my Braised Guava Short Ribs as part of the 3rd Annual Digital Black History Month Potluck with a group of 27 other talented black bloggers.
I thought short ribs would be the perfect rich and cozy recipe to develop for the chilly weather. Short ribs are a tough cut of beef that cannot be rushed when preparing; it needs time to simmer in its cooking liquid in order to become fall-off-the-bone tender. I recently made short ribs at a dinner party that I hosted and when I was ready to serve, to my dissatisfaction, they were not as tender as I’d hope. I realized the oven was set too low when I put them in after baking a cheesecake which requires a low and slow cooking process. I popped them back in the oven, jacked up the heat and baked them to tender perfection. I learned my lesson and I’m here to give you the short ribs gospel.
My short ribs include the usual suspects that you see in a short ribs recipe such as red wine and beef broth, however, I wanted to make my version different with the addition of sweet and smoky notes. Guava paste is guava pulp, sugar and water processed into a sticky pliable block that can be found in most Caribbean or Latin sections at the grocery store. It brings sweetness to the ribs in a similar fashion to a sweet barbecue sauce. Ancho chili powder gives the dish the best of both worlds; it brings heat and smokiness to balance the sweetness. Lastly, a splash of vinegar at the end ties everything together.
Braised ribs are great to make ahead of time during the day to reheat and serve later at night for dinner. If you are wondering about sides, I think something super starchy such as mash potatoes and a pot of white rice would be an excellent match. But please, this is not something you can make last minute, don’t get yourself into a jam by not properly planning to the amount of time needed to make these delicious ribs.
Black Blogger Love
Here are all the bloggers and their recipes that contributed to the potluck. Be sure to check them out. There are a few classic favorites amongst the bunch.
Beautiful Eats & Things | Okra, Corn, & Tomato Chicken Stew /// Beyond The Bayou Blog | Mackerel Balls With Biscuits & Cane Syrup/// B Sugar Mama | Red Beans and Rice/// Butter Be Ready | Caribbean- Curry Goat with Rice and Peas/// Cooks with Soul | Boudin balls/// D.M.R. Fine Foods | Spice Roasted Chicken/// Dash of Jazz | Soul Food Power Bowl/// Dish it with Tisha | Jamaican Curry Chicken/// Domestic Dee | Chicken Sliders/// Eat.Drink.Frolic. | Bourbon + sweet potato pie/// First and Full | Homemade Peach Pie/// Food Fidelity | Nashville Hot Shrimp Sandwich/// Food is Love Made Edible | Smothered Okra with Chicken and Smoked Sausage/// Foodie In New York | Chess Pie/// Immaculate Bites | Pimento Cheese/// Kaluhi’s Kitchen | Pilipili & Rosemary marinated mbuzi choma with Kachumbari/// Kenneth Temple | Chicken & Sausage Gumbo/// Marisa Moore Nutrition | Sweet and Spicy Roasted Cabbage/// Meiko And The Dish | Hot Buttered Rum Biscuits/// My Life Runs On Food | Southern Style Caesar Salad/// Rosalynn Daniels | Osso Bucco/// Savory Thoughts | Haitian Patty/// Simply LaKita | Fried Okra/// Sweet Tea & Thyme | Spiced Peach Shortcakes/// That Girl Cooks Healthy | Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce/// The Hungry Hutch | Cornbread Dressing/// Whisk It Real Gud | Banana Bread
Braised Guava Short Ribs Recipe
Serves: 4 /// Prep time: 30 minutes /// Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes /// Total time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
2 pounds short ribs
2 teaspoons salt + more to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups red wine
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally or cloves peeled
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup guava paste
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 375F.
Generously season short ribs with salt.
Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven to high heat. Sear short ribs for 5 minutes on each side or until dark brown.
Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiled reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes covered with lid.
Place Dutch oven in the oven and bake for 2 hours or until meat is tender.
Place Dutch oven back on the stove top and remove lid. Remove any chunky bits with a slotted spoon and discard. Simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes to reduce cooking liquid. Add additional salt as needed.