Beef Recipes

Smoky Beef Rib Taco with Beans, Pickled Radish & Bourbon Salsa

By
Smoky-Beef-Rib-Tacos.

There’s nothing shy about these tacos. Big, bold beef short ribs cooked low and slow until they collapse, then folded into tortillas with beans, pickled radishes and a salsa so rich it gets a kick of bourbon and a grating of dark chocolate. It’s indulgent, messy and exactly the kind of food that makes you reach for a cold beer and another napkin.

Serves: 4-6

Cook time: 4 hours

Ingredients

Group 1 ingredients

Group 2 ingredients

Quick Pickled Radishes

Black Beans

Method

Cooking the Beef

  1. Rub the beef with your spice mix and leave for a few hours or overnight.
  2. Brown the beef in a Dutch oven / heavy-bottomed pan with a splash of Yorkshire rapeseed oil (if using a slow cooker transfer meat to the bowl now and deglaze the pan you fried it in with a splash of water and add that with the meat).
  3. Add all of the other ingredients from group 1, cover, and cook low and slow for a minimum of 4 hours (very low on a gentle simmer on the hob or in a 160°C oven / 140°C if fan oven). The beef should be ready to fall off the bone when done.
  4. Take off the heat / out of the oven and let it rest.
  5. Take the beef out of the cooking liquor and pull off the bones, cover and reserve.
  6. Add the bourbon to the cooking liquor.
  7. Reduce the liquor to a thick sticky sauce. At least ¾ of the volume should be gone.
  8. Take out star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon.
  9. Blitz with a stick blender or food processor (be careful with hot liquids).
  10. Add salt and lime juice to taste, add the beef and stir.

Prepare the Pickled Radishes

  1. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaf, and peppercorns to a small pan.
  2. Heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
  3. Take off the heat, add the radishes, and let the liquid cool.

Now the Black Beans

  1. Add the beans and water from the tin to a pan.
  2. Add the bay leaf and seasoning.
  3. Heat gently, adding more water if needed and cook slowly for approximately 30 mins stirring frequently until the beans break down. You can mash them down if you prefer a smoother texture.

To Construct the Dish

  1. Place a warmed tortilla on a plate.
  2. Add the beef, black beans, and sauce.
  3. Top with the pickled radishes.
  4. Add a lime wedge.
  5. Finish by grating the 10g chocolate over the top.

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Jason is a branding, marketing and strategy expert, with specialist knowledge in food and wine, and a passion for Slovenia. He launched the first popup restaurant in Amsterdam, which then became bricks-and-mortar restaurant, HQ, and won TimeOut's Best of Amsterdam award within 6 months of opening. Jason has been a strategic consultant to big name companies across numerous sectors, but the chef and restaurateur within keeps drawing him back to the food and beverage industries. He founded Delicious Consulting through which he provides inspirational yet pragmatic consultancy. In 2019 Jason created Cultisan, a digital platform connecting consumers with artisan farmers and sustainable food makers, and enabling them to buy direct. Cultisan weaves storytelling and carefully curated content into the retail experience to achieve longer-lasting engagement than traditional retail models. In 2022 Jason launched Emona Vina, the first Slovenian/UK wine import, distribution, and retail business.