Chipotle braised short ribs

Serves 4

Boneless beef ribs cut from the chuck flap are used at Masa in the South End. These might be hard to find, so ask your butcher for flanken-style beef ribs (with the bones cut crosswise), about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. The restaurant smokes the beans, which taste as if they were cooked over a campfire. Although this version doesn't call for smoking, they still taste great. And though the ribs recipe serves 4, you'll have plenty of beans left over for a black bean salad the next day .