This is an easy recipe but not a fast one. Most of the 'time' involved does not require you to be in the kitchen, so don't let the times make you think this is hard to make. This is a mild chili - you can add more heat if you like. Personally I like to make it mild and add hot salsa to my bowl so that people who do not like heat can still enjoy. (especially since it makes a giant pot, you will want to share this!)
Start out by soaking a 1 lb bag of dried red beans overnight (or doing the 'hot soak' method listed on the bag which only takes 1-4 hours). Please start with dried beans, adding your own flavoring to the beans adds another layer entirely to the dish + buying dried beans is super super cheap. After they have soaked, drain them and put fresh water into the pot to cover. Add a bay leaf or 3, about 6 cloves of garlic (you don't have to chop it but you do have to skin it) a handful of peppercorns (you can put these in a piece of cheesecloth to save fishing them out one by one later) some dried oregano and some dried cilantro. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 1-1.5 hours, you want the beans to be cooked through but not mushy. Now add some salt to the water they are in and let them sit while you start the short ribs.
Get out a deep wide bottomed pan, if you have something like a lecruset oven or a dutch oven that would be perfect for this. Season 5-6 short ribs (can be boned or boneless, boned gives more flavor but is harder to clean/shred later) and add them to the oil. You want to brown them on all sides and then remove them from the pan. While the meat is browning, chop up 1 medium onion, 1 green bell pepper, a big handful baby carrots/or 1-2 normal carrots, and about 1/2 of a pablano pepper. Add veggies to the pan with a dash of salt and pepper and let them cook awhile, you want them to get a little browned and caramelized. While they are cooking, chop up 4-5 cloves of garlic and about 6 oz of chorizo and toss them into the pot as well.
Once the veggies are browned and chorizo renders a bit, add in some oregano, cilantro, chili powder and cumin to season. Pour in a bottle of beer, a large can of diced tomatoes and the liquid they came in, and about 1-2 cups of water. If you are using boneless ribs, add a beef bullion cube to add back some flavor. Put the ribs back in. They should be covered by the liquid. Bring to a simmer then turn the oven on to 250/300 and place the whole pot with the lid on in the oven for at least 1 hour, preferably 2. After 1-2 hours, add 3/4ths of the beans (drained and de-peppercorned) and put it back in the oven for another hour with the lid ajar so some of the steam can get out.
Pull it out of the oven and taste the broth for seasoning. Also check for thickness, if it is too thin for your liking you will want to simmer it a bit (carefully so as to not burn the bottom) to reduce the liquid. Remove the ribs from the pot, they should be falling off of the bone by now. Shred them and stir the meat back into the chili.
Serve with sour cream, fresh chopped cilantro, hot salsa, pickled jalapenos, cheese, avocados, fresh tomato, lime, chips, rice etc to garnish. Makes a huge pot so if you don't have dinner guests you will be eating this for a week, but that is ok as it will taste even better tomorrow out of the fridge.
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