Slow Cooker Short Rib Chili made with bone-in beef short ribs and black beans in a spicy sauce, a hearty and meaty dish that in incredibly comforting and bursting with rich and deep flavours. The meat is cooked until really tender and falling off the bones, then it's shredded to create a wonderfully satisfying dinner to feed a crowd. Serve it with sour cream and sliced jalapenos, and you get a dish fit for a king.

A twist on the classic chili recipe, which is usually made with ground beef, this short rib chili or flat rib chili is the ultimate cold weather comfort food that will please all the meat lovers out there.
It's spicy and beautifully seasoned, and benefits from the extra flavour coming from the bone-in ribs, which add an incredibly rich touch to the chili. Once the meat is cooked, it simply falls off the bones, and can be easily shredded just by using forks.
I started the dish on the stove top in a dutch oven, and cooked it partially to reduce the sauce, then I transferred everything to the slow cooker until the sauce was thick and meaty, and the ribs were tender and incredibly delicious.
Sour cream and jalapenos are a fantastic combo to use with chili, they add a good kick and a extra texture to a dish that's already beautifully cooked. You can also serve it with cheddar cheese or extra chillies.
So if you are looking for a cozy meal for a cold night, or a good crowd-pleasing dish for a game day gathering, this chili is just perfect. It warms you up from inside out, and can be enjoyed with creamy mashed potatoes, basmati rice, tortilla chips or cornbread.
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients used
- bone-in short ribs - I highy recommend using bone-in ribs rather an boneless ribs, as the bones add more flavours. They will be easy to remove once the chili is cooked, you can simply pick them up from the slow cooker, the meat falls off them completely.
- black beans - they add texture and richness to the sauce, and as they cook with the rest of the ingredients, they mash partially to amp up the sauce
- beef stock / broth - adds layers of flavours to the dish, not to be omitted
- chopped tomatoes - or plum tomatoes, I would only use fresh tomatoes if they were in season, ripe and juicy
- onion - I used a regular onion, but red or shallots could do too
- garlic - I prefer fresh garlic over garlic granules, as their pungent flavour works beautifully with the sauce
- red chilli - you can remove the seeds, or leave them in for extra heat
- sliced jalapenos - I absolutely love the jarred sliced jalapenos, they are easily available and incredibly delicious
- paprika - I used regular paprika, but you can use hot paprika for extra heat
- oregano - or even more flavour
- cumin - I don't like lots of cumin in a chili, so feel free to adjust the amount to your liking
- salt & pepper - to season the meat and the dish
- fresh parsley - or coriander / cilantro for garnishing
- tomato paste - for extra flavour and colour
- bay leaves - can be removed once the dish is cooked
- oil - for searing the beef and frying the onion
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- heat up the oil in a dutch oven or a heavy pot and arrange the short ribs in one layer - work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot
- season with salt and pepper, and sear on both sides until brown, then remove them from the pot and set aside
- in the same pot, add the peeled and chopped onion and garlic, and fry them until lightly golden

- add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, red chili, cumin, oregano and beef stock
- return all the seared short ribs back to the pot and place a lid on the pot
- leave it to simmer for 30 minutes so that the sauce can reduce
- add the black beans and give it a good stir

- leave the dish to simmer for an extra 15 minutes, then transfer the chili to a slow cooker
- cook in on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours
- use kitchen tongs to remove all the bones from the slow cooker, then use 2 forks to shred the meat
- garnish with fresh parsley and serve with sliced jalapenos and sour cream

Expert tips
While the whole dish could be cooked entirely on the stove top / cooker, and the dutch oven is an excellent pot for this, I prefer finishing the dish off in a crockpot.
Not only you get the meat amazingly tender and juicy, but once the chili is transferred there, it's a matter of set it and forget it until it's all ready.
Also, once the shirt ribs are seared, you can transfer everything to the slow cooker without reducing the sauce first in the dutch oven. However, I would add less broth in this case, as the sauce doesn't reduce much in the slow cooker.
The list of ingredients might look overwhelming, but apart from the ribs, you probably already have the rest of the ingredients at home, and every single one of them add extra flavour to the dish.
Other chili recipes

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Slow Cooker Short Rib Chili
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg short ribs ( flat ribs, 3 pounds)
- 1 tin black beans ( 400 g, 13 oz)
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes ( 400 g, 13 oz)
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 red chilli
- ¼ cup sliced jalapenos
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups beef broth /stock ( 375 ml)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a dutch oven or a large heavy pot.
- Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, arrange the short ribs in the pot in one layer, season with salt and pepper and sear on both sides.
- Remove the ribs from the pot, and add more oil if necessary.
- Add the peeled and chopped onion and garlic, and fry until golden.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, broth, paprika, oregano, cumin, tomato paste, chopped red chilli and mix well.
- Return the ribs to the pot, and leave it to simmer for 20 minutes to reduce the sauce.
- Add the black beans, give it a mix, and cook for a further 15 minutes.
- Transfer the chili to a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on slow for 7-8 hours or until the meat falls off the bones.
- Use kitchen tongs to remove the bones from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using 2 forks.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with sour cream and sliced jalapenos.
Video
Notes
- While the whole dish could be cooked entirely on the stove top / cooker, and the dutch oven is an excellent pot for this, I prefer finishing the dish off in a crockpot.
- Not only you get the meat amazingly tender and juicy, but once the chili is transferred there, it's a matter of set it and forget it until it's all ready.
- Also, once the shirt ribs are seared, you can transfer everything to the slow cooker without reducing the sauce first in the dutch oven. However, I would add less broth in this case, as the sauce doesn't reduce much in the slow cooker.
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