With Two feet of snow on the ground and highways closed, only two things came to mind: do I have enough beer? and What can I eat?! So off to the fridge I ran, plenty of Nugget Nectar and Short Ribs….two of my favorites. A few days before we had sat down with Scharffen Berger to discuss how to brew a stout with their nibs so I had some leftover chocolate I wanted to use. Short Ribs braised in mole sauce seemed fitting. I really enjoyed how it turned out and with a slow cooker, it couldn’t be easier.

2 Ancho Chilies

2 Pasilla Chilies

1 yellow onion chopped fine

1 clove garlic chopped

1/4 cup Chocolate Stout (Scratch 27)

2 Tomatoes Chopped

1/2 cup raisins chopped

1/2 cup Almonds chopped

1 tablespoon toasted Sesame Seeds

2 teaspoons Corriander

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 oz 99% Cacoa Scharffen Berger

1/2 cup Beef Stock

all purpose flour for dredging

salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon oil

First I tackled chopping the ingredients, pretty much the hardest and most tedious part of the whole dish.  Soak the dried Ancho and Pasilla Chilies in boiling water for twenty minutes, and chop.  Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.  My slow cooker allows me to sear meat directly on the stove with the insert (if yours doesn’t then I would use a cast iron pan or some other pan).  Heat the oil in the pan until it just starts to smoke, then add the ribs and brown each side (this should take about 5-8mins per side depending on your stove).  Pull the ribs out and saute the chopped onion for a few minutes until soft.  When the onions are slightly browned its time for all the kids in the pool, everything goes into the pot.  I set it for 8 hours on low and let it rip. When the meat just starts to break apart its ready.  I had a day of snow blowing, throwing and general horsing around with the kids while it simmered away.  Then pull out the short ribs and skim the fat off the top.  After skimming puree the leftover goodies with a stick blender or carefully transfer it to a blender (leaving enough room for it to expand).  I turned out great, and super easy as well!  Cheers