Today’s cooking thing: smoked shortrib over a tray of beef shin chilli con carne (catching the rib drippings...) Bit of an experiment. Let’s see how it goes.

Meat from @turnerandgeorge.

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First thing I did this morning: trim the beef shin of (most) of the silver skin and cut into chunks. I also discovered my filleting knife needs sharpening.

The beef shin got browned off in a very hot pan.

Meanwhile I made a chilli paste. This is @kenjilopezalt’s recipe from here:
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/01/the-best-chili-recipe.html

This stuff is fantastic - full of flavour. You toast dried chillis and then simmer them in stock. You add a host of flavourings (marmite, chocolate, coffee, cumin) and blend it.

Here’s the shortribs - very nicely marbled. Thanks @turnerandgeorge!

These were well salted and then left in the fridge for 24 hours to dry brine. Next I hit them with some of @meathead’s Big Bad Beef Rub.

The assembled chilli. The beef shin (including the bone), red kidney beans, fried onions, the chilli paste, water, garlic, bay, Mexican oregano.

I used water here, not stock, because it should be enriched by the drippings.

So here’s where we came in: the ribs on the smoker, over the chilli con carne.

And now we wait.

Been a while so let’s check in. Here’s the shortribs. Coming along ok, but still some way to go.

And here’s the chilli. Some observations:

1) it has collected a lot of fat. I expected that. It’ll need skimming at the end.

2) the beans are cooked and softened. (more on that in a second.)

3) it’s barely lost any liquid. More below.

4) it’s not too salty.