Short Rib Chili with Pickled Red Onions

Here is an incredibly beautiful and delicious Chili from Food and Wine Magazine.  
My husband said that if he had this in a restaurant, he would come back just for this dish.
 For a more budget-friendly option, substitute cubed beef chuck roast for the short ribs.
This dish is worth the extra cost of the short ribs.  They are velvety, rich and flavorful.

Ingredients

Chili

• 2 tablespoons canola oil 
• 3 ½ pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes 
• 5 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 
• 2 ½ teaspoons black pepper, divided, plus more to taste 
• 1 medium-size red onion, finely chopped (about 2 1/4cups) 
• 2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (about 1/2cup) 
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
• ½ cup tomato paste 
• ¼ cup ancho chile powder 
• 1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped 
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano 
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin 
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander 
• 1 ½ cups dry red wine 
• 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes 
• 3 cups lower-sodium chicken broth  

Pickled Red Onion

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 2 1/2cups) 
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar 
• 1 cup water 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Additional Ingredients for serving

• Crumbled queso fresco
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Sour cream

Directions

Make the chili:

• Step 1
• Heat oil in a large enameled Dutch oven over medium-high. Toss together beef, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons black pepper in a large bowl. Working in 3 batches, add beef to hot oil, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a medium bowl.

• Step 2
• Add chopped onion, jalapeños, garlic, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to drippings in Dutch oven. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, chile powder, chipotles, oregano, cumin, and coriander; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is fragrant and vegetables are evenly coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven, until liquid is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and broth; bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. Stir in beef and any juices in bowl. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender, 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours, uncovering during final 30 minutes of cook time. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste.

Make the pickled red onion:

• Step 1

• While chili cooks, place sliced red onion in a medium-size heatproof bowl; set aside. Combine vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring often to dissolve sugar. Pour hot vinegar mixture over onion, pressing onion pieces with a spoon to keep submerged. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

• Step 2
• Serve chili topped with queso fresco, cilantro, sour cream and drained pickled onions.

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