GrillinFools
We begin these beef short rib tacos with a homemade salsa and then the beef short ribs are cooked hot and fast on the grill. Indeed, fresh garnishes and charred tortilla shells complete this wonderful recipe that would be worthy of any #TacoTuesday.
We are huge fans of both beef ribs and tacos here at GrillinFools.com. From a simple beef rib primer to smoking beef ribs with garlic and onion (and wood) to the now readily available beef back ribs. And of course, tacos are simply heaven. From simple carne asada tacos to tri tip tacos to nopales cactus tacos to breakfast tacos made inside. And I almost forgot about the Big Mac Tacos which I thought was a gimmick but are soooooo good!
Beef Short Rib Tacos Ingredients
- ¼ medium head green cabbage
- ¼ medium head red cabbage
- 3½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2–3 canned chipotle chilies in adobo
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- ⅓ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds boneless beef short ribs, preferably 1″ thick
- 1 large red onion
- 10–14 small tortillas
- 1 lime
- Vegetable oil
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup (lightly packed) cilantro leaves with tender stems
First, let’s make some cabbage cole slaw for our beef short rib tacos because lettuce is boring.
Fresh Coleslaw
Slice cabbage crosswise into very thin strips, and transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt.
Then, massage gently with your hands to work in salt and soften cabbage a bit.
Squeeze in the juice of half of the lime and mix in the cilantro.
Toss and blend thoroughly until the cilantro and lime juice are combined completely with the cabbage.
Set aside
Make the Fresh Salsa
Next, toast garlic cloves in a dry small skillet over medium-high heat, until skins are deeply charred on both sides, 5–7 minutes.
Let cool a few minutes before peeling the garlic. Place in a blender along with chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, 1 tsp salt, black pepper, and ½ cup water. Blend until smooth.
Transfer salsa to a small bowl.
How to Grill Beef Short Ribs
Prepare a grill for medium heat, in this case our Broilmaster Gas Grill, which we highly recommend for anyone looking for a gas grill.
Clean and oil grate.
Then, season short ribs with remaining salt and drizzle evenly with vegetable oil.
Grill the beef ribs, rotating every minute or so:
Grill the short ribs until exterior is deeply browned and crisp until 120 internal temperature:
Then, brush ribs with salsa and continue to grill, turning every minute or less, until shiny, glazed, and thermometer registers 130, about 3 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
Some are wondering if these beef ribs will be tough. The other recipes we have for beef ribs take hours of slow cooking for those super tender ribs. This begs the question:
Can You Eat Beef Short Ribs Rare?
No, rare will not work. They will be too tough. But medium rare or medium will be plenty tender, particularly if the rib meat is cubed.
If the beef short rib meat is not tender enough for your liking, cube it. It will be fine. Cubing will ensure that the grain of the meat will be very short and thus tender.
Prepare the Garnishes
While the meat is resting, prepare the garnishes.
Cut red onion in half through the root end and remove skin.
Slice halves into ½ inch thick wedges.
Grill onion wedges until charred, about 2 minutes per side.
Trim root so layers easily separate and arrange on a platter.
Slice avocado and arrange on a small plate.
Toast 10–14 tortillas on grill, about 15 seconds per side:
Furthermore, wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm.
If short ribs are very thick, slice horizontally through the middle of the sides into 2 thinner pieces, then slice against the grain ¼” thick. Rotate slices 90 degrees and chop crosswise into ¼” pieces.
Finally, arrange on platter next to onion and serve with cabbage slaw, avocado, tortillas, and remaining salsa for making tacos.
Enjoy.
Beef Short Rib Tacos Rundown
These tacos are incredible. They have that wonderful savory beef rib, that glorious crunch from both the toasted tortillas and the fresh cabbage. That fresh salsa brings it all together with a little heat and that fresh vegetable taste. Thus, make way more than you think you need here as people can always eat a couple more tacos.
Also, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or send me an email.
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Beef Short Rib Tacos Recipe Card:
Beef Short Rib Tacos
Ingredients
Cabbage Slaw
- ¼ head Medium green cabbage
- ¼ head Medium red cabbage
- 3 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt divided
- 1 Lime
- 1 cup Fresh cilantro
Homemade Salsa
- 5 cloves Garlic cloves unpeeled
- 2-3 cans Chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 tablespoon Adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
Rest of the Taco Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Beef short ribs boneless
- 1 Large red onion
- Vegetable oil
- 1 Avocado
- 10-14 Small tortillas
Instructions
Cole Slaw
- Slice cabbage crosswise into very thin strips, then transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Massage gently with your hands to work in salt and soften cabbage a bit. Add the juice of half a lime and drop in the cilantro. Toss and blend through until the cilantro and lime juice are combined completely
Homemade Fresh Salsa
- Toast garlic cloves in a dry, small skillet over medium-high heat, until skins are deeply charred on both sides, 5–7 minutes. Let cool a few minutes and peel garlic. Then place in blender along with chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, 1 tsp salt, black pepper, and ½ cup water. Blend until smooth. Transfer salsa to a small bowl and set aside
Grilled Beef Short Ribs
- Prepare a grill for medium heat. Clean and oil grate. Season short ribs with remaining salt; drizzle evenly with vegetable oil. Grill, rotating every minute or so, until exterior is deeply browned and crisp until 120F internal temperature. Brush ribs with salsa and continue to grill, turning every minute or less, until shiny, glazed, and thermometer registers 130F, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes.
Prepare the Garnishes
- While the meat is resting, prepare the garnishes. Cut red onion in half through the root end and remove skin. Slice halves through root end into ½"-thick wedges. Grill onion wedges until charred, about 2 minutes per side. Trim root so layers easily separate and arrange on a platter. Cut 1 lime in half and squeeze juice into cabbage. Add cilantro leaves to slaw and toss to combine. Slice avocado and arrange on a small plate. Toast 10–14 tortillas on grill, about 15 seconds per side. Furthermore, wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm.
Taco Assembly
- If short ribs are very thick, slice horizontally through the middle of the sides into 2 thinner pieces, then slice against the grain ¼" thick. Rotate slices 90 degrees and chop crosswise into ¼" pieces. Finally, arrange on platter next to onion and serve with cabbage slaw, avocado, tortillas, and remaining salsa for making tacos. Enjoy.
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