I thought the sauce was a different product entirely, diddnt realize it was the sauce the peppers came in! My mistake, thank you for sticking with me!

I know that the Ancho is just the dried version of the Poblano so could I just use the Poblano instead? Would I need to roast the Poblano?

Yes you would need to first dry the poblano in the oven. Here is a link that I found with a bit more information about drying chilies, http://www.happynews.com/living/cooking/dry-chili-peppers.htm - give it a try and let us know how it turned out for you. Cheers!

I prepared the Braised Ancho Chili Short Ribs this past week and they were EXCELLENT! Very yummy indeed. However, I had a heck of a time finding decent short ribs at the local grocers (and they are hardly the "economy" cut they once were). One place had boneless short ribs...the marbling looked good, and I was wondering how well these might do in this recipe. The one large piece of connective tissue next to the bone is missing of course, but I was unable to cook mine down enough to make that palatable anyway. Thanks and Cheers!

Indeed, you could use boneless short ribs for this recipe. I sometimes buy the whole section of boneless ribs and just cut big pieces myself. Good for you for focusing on what the meat looked like (marbling etc.) as this is what matters most. Hope this helps - cheers!

In the combination lesson it says to cook low and slow with the oven at 200 F. Here the recipe says to use 350 F. Why the difference?

Someone has been doing their homework :-)

To be honest this is an older recipe and we used to cook this dish at a higher temperature, until our experiments proved that slower and lower is better with moist heat cooking...if time permits.

Really you can cook this at either/or any temperature - but again for the ultimate results - lower and slower is better. Here is a drill-down that goes into more detail about oven temperatures for combination cooking. Cheers!

The recipe was wonderful. I think the best part was the smell of it cooking. It really built the anticipation and it delivered. I did the smashed sweet potatoes with it as suggested and liked them almost as much as the short ribs!

I made these ribs tonight but had a bit of a problem with them. I tried to 1/2 the recipe, so I basically 1/2ed everything including the liquid. It was about 1/2 way up on most of the rib portions when I started so I thought I'd be ok. After flipping 1/2 way, I left the pot in the oven for another hour and fifteen minutes and basically burned everything up. I should have watched it more closely but it didn't occur to me that this might happen. I was quite surprised.

What's the solution to this problem in the future? Do I not 1/2 the liquid portion of the recipe? I'm assuming the cook time needs to stay the same to cook the meat properly but... maybe it doesn't. Would using a dutch oven with a smaller diameter and the ribs & liquid higher in it have helped?

Any thoughts are appreciated. It kind of sucked that it was ruined but mistakes are going to happen. Oh well, still learned a lot and will try again in a day or so.

First off let me start by saying good job Bill. I say this because rather then get frustrated or blame the recipe you seem to be taking this as a learning experience and you are ready to try it again. That is totally the right attitude of a good cook.

Now here are a few things that I think may have gone wrong for you that may help you the next time you make these. I think that you likely did not have enough liquid. When it comes to braising it is not so much about a recipe calling for this amount or that amount it is about how much liquid the ribs need to cook. They should generally be covered by about 2/3d's.

As you mentioned, your pot was also likely too big for the amount you were cooking. I think if you review the lessons on Combination Cooking (in particular topic 4 and 6) and also the lesson on Braising and then practice again you will see much different results, even if you halve or double a recipe :-)

Hope this helps - cheers!

Thanks Dawn. I realized as well that I didn't watch the end of the video, where you suggest checking the ribs and adding more liquid. That might have helped!

So far everything is going pretty well, but I fear I have put a little too much chipotle pepper & adobe sauce in the mix here. Let's just say, there's a real nice kick to my sauce that explodes in your mouth about 30 seconds after tasting it. I am having company over tomorrow night, a couple and their 12 year old son, and am concerned it might be a little on the hot side for them. Any tricks on how to mellow it out just a tad? Thank you...

I wonder if the old "potato trick" would help with the excessive chili heat. When a soup or stew is too salty, you can mitigate somewhat by throwing a cut potato into the pot for a while, letting it soak of some of the salt, and then discarding. Not sure if it would have the same effect on the chipotle.

Funny; I've made this recipe twice and, being a big lover of chipotle, have been tempted to increase the amount called for! I've refrained, and found the balance to be just right. In fact, a friend who shared these with us recently said they were the best short ribs he's ever had in his life, and one of the best meals I've ever prepared for him. High praise!

Good luck!

I will just say that the heat does seem to mellow. I remember the first time I made these ribs, I thought to myself, "Holy cow these are going to be spicy" but then in the end they were not. Honestly, each time I make them I think they are going to be very spicy but in the end the cooking and then letting them chill overnight really mellows them out. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Cheers!

I have to say, I should have watched the Chipotle Pepper video first! Blending the peppers down in the food processor is a good trick to get a more accurate measurement. My tablespoons of peppers consisted of large whole peppers when I was scooping them out of the can. Really didn't think too much of it at the time because we love smokey and spicy foods. My husband and I tasted the sauce this morning, which is really delicious, but it's still pretty kicky (my husband started coughing after about 30 seconds). C'est la vie... Live and learn!

I think the adults will be able to handle this, and I will be adding about a cup of water to the dish tonight when I re-heat so that might mellow it out a tad?

I also have a pork chop back-up for the 12 year boy, just in case!

Thank you Dawn & Shirley for your input. I will let you know how it goes!

Thanks Rouxbe for another great recipe. And Dawn, yes you were correct, the dish really did mellow out and it was fantastic. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks again for the input!

I would love to make this dish but can't find the Ancho chilis. I have looked in half a dozen grocery stores in my area and none have Ancho Chilis. Where are they usually found, or what could I use to substitute? Thank you.

Here is a link to a thread where this question has been asked and answered (from page one of this forum thread). Good luck and enjoy!

I'm browsing your site am VERY impressed. Good job!

Thanks for the link Dawn. I see lots of comments for the Chipotle Chilis but only one for the Ancho chilis and that refers to drying a Poblano pepper. I have looked for those as well with no luck. So without either Ancho or Poblano chilis I guess I am out of luck for now. Amazon.com sells them but won't ship to Canada.

It took me forever to find them at first. Once you know what to look for you'll see them everywhere :). They are usually in the produce area in a stand with other types of dried chiles, around where you'd also find nuts, dried cranberries, stuff like that. I've also seen them near the deli counter, around the international cheeses. They come in cellophane baggies with one of those cardboard foldover thingies stapled to the baggie, and there's usually 2-4 of them in a bag.

If you can find a Mexican restaurant nearby, ask the staff there where you can find them, I'm sure there's a store nearby.

Just curious where you live in Canada. I ask this as I also live in Canada and have found them in many stores. Also, Daniel gives some good ideas and advice as to where to find them. Cheers!

I find the chilies are often packaged with the label of Pasilla Chili. It's my understanding that the poblano is the term for the chili when fresh, and either Pasilla or Ancho is the dried version. (The Ancho may or not be smoked a bit, as well). In the US, the Tampico brand of cello-packed chilies, herbs, and spices, are widely available in grocery stores. A minute or two spent on www.pepperfool.com will provide something of an education and lots of links to chili pepper resources. Might not get the anchos to you in Canada, but fun nonetheless!

Failng all else, I would be tempted to make the recipe anyway. Possibly use New Mexico or even Guajillo chilies (maybe increasing the coffee amount, or a drop or two of liquid smoke, to round out the flavor). These short ribs are just so dang good! Good luck!

Passillas are not the same thing as anchos. Ancho chiles are dried Poblanos, and Pasilla are dried Chilacas. I'm no chile expert but for sure they are not the same, although they might be very close. This recipe that I make calls for both of them, and I get them from the same brand. The pasillas feel completely dried out, and are excellent for making chile powder. The anchos are almost a raisiny texture, and are great to reconstitute and puree to flavor a sauce.

They sure look alike though don't they :)

Thanks for that clarification, Daniel. Aren't we lucky that there are so many chilies to experience and enjoy!

Maybe toasting the Pasillas prior to soaking would help bring them closer to the flavor desired in this recipe. Just a thought! (I still like my liquid smoke idea. How about a few ground up raisins?) Cheers!