Texas-Style Beef Short Rib Chili
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This Texas-style beef short rib chili is rich, smoky, and deeply savory, built on a base of toasted dried chilies, tender braised beef, and a thick, velvety broth fortified with masa harina. Inspired by classic “bowl of red” traditions, this bean-free chili delivers bold flavor and melt-in-your-mouth short ribs in every bite. If you love hearty, slow-cooked comfort food, make my citrus chili braised short ribs or these maple bourbon braised short ribs next!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Deep, complex flavor – Layers of toasted chilies, spices, beer, and chocolate create a signature Texas-style richness.
- Tender, fall-apart beef – Braising short ribs low and slow guarantees melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Two cooking methods – Make it in a Dutch oven or Instant Pot depending on your schedule.
A brief history of Texas-style chili
Texans take their chili so seriously that it was named the official state dish of the Lone Star State in 1977 through a resolution passed in the state legislature. Why? Because Texans believe only Texans know how to make real chili! While I take slight offense to this notion, I respect their commitment to the dish. The ghost town of Terlingua, Texas holds the International chili cook-off annually. The only way to enter is with proof of winning a smaller chili contest.
How is Texas-Style Chili Different From Others?
One of the major differences between Texas-style chili and the other chili recipes out there is that the classic preparation doesn’t include any beans. When questioning my friend Sean from @sorryimtexan about the Texan special also known as chili con carne, the first thing he told me was, “just warning you that if there are beans, there will be backlash.” People eventually started adding beans to chili because it made the dish cheaper to make—and it stretched a pot far enough to feed big groups, especially farmhands back in the early 1900s. And fun fact: according to the Texas Chili Parlor in Austin, women selling chili at roadside stands in the 1800s were known as “chili queens.” Honestly, I think that might be my new aspirational title.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Beef – The flavors are built starting with beef and chilies and coax complex flavors out of those few simple ingredients. I use boneless short ribs cut into cubes though another cut like brisket can be used. The beef is first browned in the pot before simmered until fork tender.
- Chilies – Removing the seeds to the chilies is crucial—the goal is to use the flavor without an overpowering spice (the spice of chilies is in the seeds). I use a combination of guajillo chilies, ancho chilies and arbol chilies.
- Tomato paste – While tomatoes are another ingredient up for contention in Texan chili, I use a little tomato paste to deepen the flavors.
- Masa harina – Masa harina is a dried corn flour used here to thicken the base of the chili. It can be found in the Latin American section of a grocery store, Latin American markets or on Amazon.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pro Tip
For the smoothest, most flavorful chili base, toast your dried chilies until fragrant but not blackened—burning them will make the chili bitter. Let them fully soften in hot water before blending for a silky, restaurant-quality chili paste.
Swaps and Substitutions
- Beef: Boneless short ribs are ideal, but brisket or chuck roast also work beautifully.
- Chilies: If you can’t find guajillo or ancho, substitute pasilla or New Mexico chilies. Arbol adds heat—reduce or omit if sensitive.
- Beer: Use stout, lager, or non-alcoholic beer; or swap with additional beef stock.
- Masa harina: Finely ground cornmeal or crushed tortilla chips can be used as a thickener in a pinch.
- Chocolate: Mexican chocolate adds depth, but dark chocolate (70%+) can be substituted.
Texas-Style Beef Short Rib Chili (Step-by-Step)
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat, then add the chilies and toast, shaking the pan frequently, until the chilies are fragrant. Be careful not to let them burn.
Place the chilies in a medium heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups of boiling water and let sit until soft. Add the chilies in the water to a blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
Season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large 7-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Sear the short ribs in batches until browned on all sides.
Remove to a bowl and set aside. Turn the heat to medium then add the onion and sauté until tender. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Stir in the paprika, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon, then cook until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and the homemade chili paste mixture. Return the short ribs to the pot and pour the beer and beef stock over the top.
Bring the mixture to a boil then turn down heat to low and tightly cover, cooking until the short ribs are tender and easily pulls apart, about 2½ – 3 hours. Stir in the chocolate until combined.
Ladle about 1 cup of the sauce into a small bowl and whisk in the masa harina. Pour the mixture back into the pot and stir to combine and thicken the sauce. Use the back of the spoon to separate some of the pieces of the short rib – they should easily fall apart.
Ladle the chili into bowls and top with desired servings with a side of cornbread.
How to Make Texas-Style Beef Short Rib Chili in an Instant Pot
- Make the chili paste. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat, then add the chilies and toast, shaking the pan frequently, until the chilies are fragrant. Be careful not to let them burn. Place the chilies in a medium heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups of boiling water and let sit until soft. Add the chilies in the water to a blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Sear the short ribs. Season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a 6-quart instant pot to “sauté” setting. When it says “hot” add the olive oil and heat through then working it batches, add the short ribs and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes total.
- Sauté the aromatics. Remove to a large bowl and set aside. Add the onion to the instant pot and sauté until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about an additional 15 to 20 seconds. Stir in the paprika, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon, followed by the tomato paste and the homemade chili paste mixture. Return the short ribs to the pot and pour the beer and beef stock over the top.
- Secure the lid and cook. Close the lid to the instant pot and secure closed and set to pressure cook on high. Pressure cook for 30 minutes then let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure indicator has gone down, open the lid.
- Thicken the broth. Ladle about 1 cup of the sauce into a small bowl and whisk in the masa harina. Pour the mixture back into the pot and stir to combine and thicken the sauce. Use the back of the spoon to separate some of the pieces of the short rib – they should easily fall apart. Stir in the Mexican chocolate until melted and combined.
- Serve. Ladle the chili into bowls and top with desired servings with a side of cornbread.
How to Serve Texas-Style Beef Short Rib Chili
- Top with shredded Monterey Jack, cheddar, or Oaxaca cheese.
- Garnish with cilantro, red onion, green onion, or jalapeño slices.
- Serve with warm cornbread, tortilla chips, or flour tortillas for dipping.
- Pair with a cold beer—Shiner Bock is a classic Texas choice.
- Add a dollop of sour cream to balance the smoky heat.
Storing Texas-Style Beef Short Rib Chili
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Chili often tastes even better the next day.
- Freeze: Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, or microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between.
- Thickening: If chili thickens after storing, add a splash of beef stock or water to loosen.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This chili reheats beautifully and tastes even richer the next day as the flavors deepen.
Absolutely — you can use an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or heavy-bottomed soup pot. The recipe includes Instant Pot instructions for convenience.
Traditionally, Texas-style chili is bean-free, but if you prefer beans, you can stir in black beans or pinto beans during the final 20 minutes of cooking.
It has a smoky, moderate heat from guajillo and ancho chilies, with extra spice from arbol chilies. Reduce or omit the arbols for a milder version.
Cornmeal, crushed tortilla chips, or even a small cornstarch slurry can thicken the chili in its place.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this beef short rib chili recipe, I recommend checking out some of these
- Citrus Chili Braised Short Ribs with Carrots and Charred Corn Polenta
- Maple Bourbon Braised Short Ribs
- Ancho Chili Roasted Acorn Squash with Queso Fresco
Thanks for cooking with me! If you made this recipe, leave a 🌟 rating and share your thoughts or tips below. I’d love to hear from you!
Texas-Style Beef Short Rib Chili
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Ingredients:
For the chili paste:
- 2 dried guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed
- 5 dried arbol chilies, stems and seeds removed
For the Texas-style short rib chili:
- 3 pounds boneless short ribs, cut into 2” pieces
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 12 ounces stout beer
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 ounce unsweetened Mexican dark chocolate
- ¼ cup masa harina
For serving:
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Cornbread get the recipe here
Instructions:
For the chili paste:
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat, then add the chilies and toast, shaking the pan frequently, until the chilies are fragrant, about 2 minutes on each side. Be careful not to let them burn.
- Place the chilies in a medium heatproof bowl and cover with 2 cups of boiling water and let sit until soft, about 20 minutes. Add the chilies in the water to a blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
For the Texas-style short rib chili:
- Season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large 7-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Sear the short ribs in batches until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes total. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
- Turn the heat to medium then add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about an additional 15 to 20 seconds.
- Stir in the paprika, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon, then cook until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and the homemade chili paste mixture. Return the short ribs to the pot and pour the beer and beef stock over the top.
- Bring the mixture to a boil then turn down heat to low and tightly cover, cooking until the short ribs are tender and easily pulls apart, about 2½ – 3 hours. Stir in the chocolate until combined.
- Ladle about 1 cup of the sauce into a small bowl and whisk in the masa harina. Pour the mixture back into the pot and stir to combine and thicken the sauce. Use the back of the spoon to separate some of the pieces of the short rib – they should easily fall apart.
For serving:
- Ladle the chili into bowls and top with desired servings with a side of cornbread.
Notes:
Nutrition:
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This looks amazing – I am definitely making this for the weekend 🙂 keep you posted!! Thanks for sharing.
Yay! I hope you enjoy the recipe!!
Definitely an authentic recipe.. the only possible ingredients i’ve heard were also used in addition to the ones listed are coffee and bacon. I might use this as a base and incorporate some cooking techniques from other cultures to elevate it further. Szechuan fried chili oil to bring smokiness and heat, a tuscan sofrito with the fresh herbs to bring freshness and bite, dry brining the meat to season it through, tenderize it, and concentrate flavors, and a bit of homemade powdered dashi to ramp up the underlying umami content would be the first places i’d start to look. Then to serve it i might consider adding in small pearls of oaxaca to sit in the bowl of hot chili until melted that would bring a stringy fun factor to eating it… or even broiled over top until brown and bubbly. So many ideas. Too many ideas lol
All of these ideas sound like incredible additions Dave! Thanks so much for sharing – I can’t wait to give them a try next time I make this recipe!
-Kylie
I made this tonight in the instant pot and it seems a little to runny – any suggestions? Looking at the recipe again I may see where I made a mistake. When you mentioned to “ Add the chilies in the water to a blender and blend until smooth…” I took that to mean blend both the chilis and the water they were soaking in. Is that correct? If not, how can I adjust the chili since I included the extra water?
Did you add the masa harina to thicken it in the end? You were right you blend the chilies as well as the water but the masa harina added in the end should thicken it! If you don’t have masa I’d recommend using a slurry of equal parts cornstarch and cold water whisked together then stir into the chili and bring back to a boil to thicken it. Hope this helps!
HI! Your instructions say to heat the oven to 300F, but I don’t see where in the process we are to put the Chili in the oven. Did I miss it somewhere?
You didn’t miss anything – that’s on me! After several tests I changed the recipe to be cooked on the stove but that part slipped through edits. Thanks for calling it to my attention! All fixed!
Oooohh! Sounds delicious! I’m making it tomorrow, this is what I was looking for, perfecto! Can’t wait! Thanks
Hope you enjoy Raquel!
Hi, Can you make the chili paste ahead of time and store? And if so how long will it keep for? Thank you
Yes! You absolutely can make the chili paste ahead of time. I recommend refrigerating for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.