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Boneless Short Rib Barbacoa Stuffed Arepas
Pair a smoky, tender short rib with a flavorful sauce and homemade arepas and you’ve got a dinner dreams are made of.
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Ingredients
Barbacoa:
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4 lb short rib
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1 tbsp avocado oil
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4 dry ancho chiles
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2 dry chile negros
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1 can chipotle chili pods in adobo
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sea salt
Sauce
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1 cup onion
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1 cup carrots
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0.5 cup celery
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5 cloves garlic
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dry chili pieces
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1 can chipotle chili pods in adobo
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1 tbsp oregano
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1 tsp cumin
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1 tsp cinnamon
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3 bay leaves
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1 tbsp tomato paste
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2 cups chicken stock
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1 can whole, peeled tomatoes (28 ounce)
Arepas:
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2 cups masarepa
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2 cups hot water
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¼ cup melted butter
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1 cup queso fresco
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avocado oil
Toppings:
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queso fresco
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cilantro
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onions
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fresh lime juice
1 Food Prep
Add your short ribs to a bowl and season them with salt and pepper. Then add your oil to the bowl and mix well. Set the bowl to the side until you’re ready to cook.
Now for the arepas. Using your hands, mix together all of your arepas ingredients until a dough forms. Knead your dough until it’s smooth, then place it into a food-safe plastic bag for 15 minutes to set.
You’ll want to keep your hands moist with drops of water during this next part. After 15 minutes, remove your dough from the bag and form it into tennis ball-sized circles. Then, shape the balls into disks, about ½” thick.
2 Grill Prep
Fuel: We recommend Kingsford® Original Charcoal Briquets
Method: Two-Zone Method
Temp: 275°F (Low Heat) & 400ºF (Medium Heat)
Carefully hold your hand about 5” to 6” above the grate, and refer to the temperature settings below:
• High Heat (450° to 550°F):
2 to 4 seconds
• Medium Heat (350° to 450°F):
5 to 6 seconds
• Low Heat (250° to 350°F):
8 to 10 seconds
Make sure your clothing doesn’t touch the grate, and always move your hand away from the heat before you feel discomfort.
When you’re at temp, put cooking oil on a folded paper towel. Grab the oiled paper towel with long-handled tongs and oil the grate thoroughly.
3 The Cook
Short Rib
Place a 12” iron skillet on the cooler side of the grate with the grill lid closed to preheat.
Place your dry chiles on the skillet to heat up. Once they’re pliable, remove them from the skillet. This should take about 2–3 minutes on each side.
Close the lid, keeping your skillet inside to stay hot.
Remove the stems and seeds from your dry chiles, then cut them into small pieces and set aside.
- Add your sauce ingredients to the skillet.
Then place your short ribs on top, submerged slightly with the meat side down. Cover your skillet with a lid or use aluminum foil and place your skillet on the cooler side of the grate, away from the coals. Then, close your grill lid.
Braise for about 2½ hours, or until your short ribs are tender. Add more liquid as needed during the braising process to ensure the mixture doesn’t dry up. For longer cooks like this, we recommend using a grill thermometer to monitor the temperature of your grill.
Once your ribs are tender remove your skillet from the grill and remove your short ribs from the skillet, placing them into a separate bowl. Shred your ribs.
Remove any bay leaves from the liquid left in your skillet. Allow the liquid to cool off a bit, then puree the liquid in batches, until it’s all been pureed.
Add half of the pureed sauce to your shredded short ribs.
Arepas
Bring your grill up to 400°F.
Place a grill-safe pan directly over the coals to preheat.
When you’re ready to cook your arepas, coat both sides with avocado oil before placing them on the pan to cook. Cook for 5 minutes and flip until lightly browned, then remove them from your grill.
To Serve
- Serve by stuffing each arepa with a large spoonful of the barbacoa mixture. Top your arepa with a tbsp. of the reserved sauce and toppings of your choice.
Recipe created by Chef Ronaldo Linares, on behalf of Kingsford® Charcoal.
For safe meat preparation, reference the USDA website.
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