fall inspired cinnamon short rib tacos served with apple + carrot slaw. these tacos are what you want when you want warm fall flavors with a summer vibe.
these tacos are the perfect weekend meal for a family. the cooking time is 3-4 hours to it’s the great for a set it and forget it meal while you’re busy carving pumpkins.
fall inspired short rib tacos + apple slaw tips
Short Ribs – These flanken cut short ribs literally fall off the bone after cooking for 3-4 hours are they are truly the definition of melt in your mouth. The marinating time is anywhere between 4-48 hours. I know that it seems like a really long time however, the longer you marinate them, the strong the flavors will be. If you’re short on time, then you could probably get away with 2 hours, but you won’t get the full bodied flavor.
Apple Carrot Slaw – Since these tacos are fall inspired, I wanted to focus in on something that was in season. That being apples. Cortland apples pair perfectly with this slaw recipe because they are a bit tart and a bit sweet with a nice bite to them.
Serving the tacos – I served my tacos with pickled onions, jalapenos, cilantro, lime crema, apple carrot slaw + cotija cheese. You can play around with your toppings and add things like avocado, different cheeses or even warm cinnamon apples. I served them on warm corn tortillas but you can use flour or even coconut tortillas!
trulocal
i created this recipe for trulocal aka my all time favourite meat company. trulocal works with local farmers to provide you with the highest quality meat. i notice the difference of quality in my food and i highly recommend you check them out! if you decide you want to give them a try, you can use my link trulocal or my code at checkout (trusaltedsunday) and you will get 4 chicken breasts and 1lb of bacon free in your first 2 orders! they have the best bacon around so i recommend grabbing that while you can! if you have questions about them, send me a message!
if you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram or leave a comment below!
fall inspired short rib tacos + apple carrot slaw
Ingredients
Short Ribs
- 5 pkgs miami ribs/flanken cut short ribs
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 3 tbsp chilli powder
- 3 tbsp chinese five spice powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp fennel seed
- ½ tsp cardamom
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ cup soy sauce sub tamari
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
Apple + Carrot Slaw
- 1 sm napa cabbage thinly sliced
- ½ sm red cabbage thinly sliced
- 3 cortland apples julienned / thinly sliced
- 4-6 medium carrots I used heirloom carrots, julienned
- ¼ of a fresh pineapple diced, sub canned
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 3 limes juiced
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce sub tamari
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp paprika
Lime Crema
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ lime zest
- 1 lime juiced
- salt to taste
Additional
- 12-20 corn tortillas
- cotija cheese sub feta cheese
- cilantro
- pickled onions
- lime juice
Instructions
Short Ribs
- Double wash short ribs, this removes any excess fat. Place them on a paper towel and pat to dry. Spray a large baking pan (I used a 11×14 pyrex glass pan) add all of your short ribs to the pan, set aside.
- Mix all dry ingredients for dry rub, including brown sugar, split into 2 bowls, set aside. In a small bowl whisk soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar and sesame oil together. Pour wet mixture over all of the ribs, make sure all are coated. Sprinkle 3/4 of dry rub over all of short ribs, rub the dry rub into the ribs and make sure they are well coated. Reserve the other 1/4 of the dry rub for once the ribs are cooked. Cover the ribs and place in the fridge for 4 – 48 hours to marinate. Do not leave them in the fridge for longer than 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Take short ribs out of the fridge and leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour before cooking. Cover the ribs tightly with foil and bake at 325 for 4 hours, for the last 30 minutes of the bake, remove the foil and bake uncovered. Alternatively you can bake the ribs at 350 degrees F, for 2 – 3 hours covered, for the last 30 minutes of the bake, remove the foil and cook uncovered.
- When the ribs are done cooking, remove them from the oven. The bones should fall right out, discard the bones.
- You can either shred all of the meat by hand or you can place all of your meat in a kitchen aid and mix it on low with the whisk attachment, this will quickly shred your meat. Once shredded, add a couple tablespoons of your dry rub and toss to coat, you can add more if you want more of a dry rub flavour.
Apple Carrot Slaw
- Add the cabbages, apple, carrots, pineapple and cilantro to a large bowl. In another small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, soy sauce, cayenne and paprika. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss well to coat. Place in the fridge until ready to serve. The slaw can be made the night before.
Lime Crema
- In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, lime zest, lime juice and salt. If you want a thinner crema, add more milk. If you want a thicker crema, use less than the set 1/4 cup of milk. The crema can be made the night before.
Assembly
- Char the corn tortillas over an open gas stove top flame, or heat them in a pan. Layer in your short rib meat, apple slaw, crema, cilantro, cotija cheese and pickled onions!
