Beef Short Ribs ???

Mattman3969

I am going to be smoking some beef short ribs(I think he said short) on Sunday for my neighbor. He asked me if the next time I had the big green thing going would I mind doin some Beef Short Ribs for him. This was about 3-4 weeks ago. So Sunday is the day. I've read everything from 250 indirect with no foil to 3hrs smoke and then foil with a liquid. I really want these to be outta da park good because he just found out about a really bad illness and he needs something good right now. Anybody got any advice on beef short ribs??

SGH

Yes sir I do. Here is a slight variation on how I do it. http://youtu.be/WoNGO_0pD78
I hope this helps my friend. The one above is excellent or I would not post it. I thought the video may be useful. Good luck my friend.

SGH

Brother Reed is a excellent cook. He lives north of me. A fellow MIssissippi guy!!

NPHuskerFL

I love. Love. :x BEEF RIBS! They usually appear when they have a sale on ribeyes. I try to get the whole rack intact. I call ahead and my Publix butcher will usually hold a few nice sets for me.

SGH

@Mattman3969‌
Just for the record. Brother Reed is currently ranked in the top 3 in the southeastern district in whole hog. He is pretty sharp. You can heed his council. Don't let is country boy demeanor fool you. He is solid as a rock. And a fine man to boot.

SGH

@Mattman3969‌
If the said ribs he has turns out not to be short ribs let me know. I only bring this up because sometimes people confuse them.

SGH

@Mattman3969‌
Here is another good one by brother Reed. I hope one of the videos helps my friend. http://youtu.be/VnLSq1qboe8

DMW

I'm doing short plate ribs today. Tell us more, are they cut, if so how? If they are single, might want to smoke for a couple hours, then braise until done.

Shiff

Beef Plate RIbs (3 bone) and Beef Chuck Short RIbs (4 bone) are both great.  They can be cooked the same way without braising.  I do use foil for part of the cook which, I guess, is sort of like braising.  Here is my report on some plate ribs:

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1161966/beef-plate-ribs

lousubcap

For short ribs I have gone with and without a foil step.  In the end, the foil step turned out more flavorful in my opinion.  I run at around 250-260*F on the dome for about three hours, then foiled with a little worcestershire until about "fall-off-the-bone". This is usually another 2 hours or so.  For prep, I hit with a little worcestershire and montreal steak seasoning.  

And once you go beef ribs, pork will always be in second place.  >-

johnmitchell

lousubcap said:

For short ribs I have gone with and without a foil step.  In the end, the foil step turned out more flavorful in my opinion.  I run at around 250-260*F on the dome for about three hours, then foiled with a little worcestershire until about "fall-off-the-bone". This is usually another 2 hours or so.  For prep, I hit with a little worcestershire and montreal steak seasoning.  

And once you go beef ribs, pork will always be in second place.  >-

This is how I am planning to do my ribs this afternoon.. L-)

Mattman3969

Get outta bed and POW all kinds of good stuff @sgh - thanks for the vid
@dmw -that's all that I know and haven't even seen the ribs yet. He bringin over bout 9-9:30 in the morning.
Looks like from all the reading I have done and the comments here it will be a 4-5 hr cook. I will post a pic of the ribs once they arrive and make a decision on how to cook from there hopefully with y'all's help.
@lousubcap -very similar to how I do my small chuckies. May have to stay with a tried method. As far a the beef vs pork, I don't think I have made a pork butt since I got the chuckie figured out so I know what you mean.
Next question my grocery has some beef ribs on sale that I think are back ribs. They have 7 bones, are these worth buying?

lousubcap

@Mattman3969- I much prefer the short ribs to the beef back ribs-meatier and with more fat to render.  In this part of the state at least, beef back ribs are priced higher / lb than the short ribs.  Given the choice I would go short over back ribs every time.  Now if beef back ribs are all you can get, then look closely at the amount of meat on those bones as you don't want to be paying premium price for beef bones in the end.  FWIW-

DMW

@Mattman3969 If they are a full slab of short ribs (3 bones = Plate, 4 bones = Chuck) I have had them take longer than 5 hours at 225*-250* when not foiling.

SmokeyPitt

@Mattman3969 I really like beef back ribs but I will say they are fatty.  It's not a big deal to me I just eat around the fat, but my wife doesn't care for them.  I would definitely say they are worth trying. 

When people talk about short ribs I think they usually mean ribs that look like these below.  They are very similar to chuckie IMO and you can definitely cook them the same way.  

I was just looking through my pics and it reminded me how I did these.  I marinated them in Pirates Gold (similar to allegro), smoked them similar to what @lousubcap mentioned with a short foil stage.  I boiled the marinade and added brown sugar and a some grape jam (no sugar added variety) to make a glaze.  

Mattman3969

Those look awesome @smokeypitt

Mattman3969

DMW said:

@Mattman3969 If they are a full slab of short ribs (3 bones = Plate, 4 bones = Chuck) I have had them take longer than 5 hours at 225*-250* when not foiling.

Thank you for the heads up. I am not that educated on beef ribs yet, but will begin class tomorrow. I will post a pic as soon as I get my hands on the ribs and lean on you guys to point me in the right direction.

cazzy

Read this article Matt!
http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/you-may-love-beef-short-ribs-pitmasters-dont

Shiff

Mattman3969 said:

Next question my grocery has some beef ribs on sale that I think are back ribs. They have 7 bones, are these worth buying?

I always used to look for the beef back ribs because I thought that short ribs required a braising step and I really don't care much for braised meat unless I'm in the mood for pot roast.

I began to read here about plate ribs and chuck short ribs and gave them a try.  They are much better than back ribs (at least the ones I can get around here) because they have more meat and a better flavor.  I buy them at Restaurant Depot where I can get the uncut full slab of ribs (3 ribs for plate ribs and 4 ribs for chuck short ribs).  I posted a link to my cook in my post up above.  I used a slightly modified Adam Perry Lang recipe and thought they were wonderful.  They do use a foil step but they don't taste braised.  If you buy at a market, ask them for a full slab and not to cut them.

Mattman3969

Still haven't seen them but he said they are single pieces about the size of your fist. Don't know if that helps or not. Nothing like goin into a cook blind!!

cazzy

Mattman3969 said:

Still haven't seen them but he said they are single pieces about the size of your fist. Don't know if that helps or not. Nothing like goin into a cook blind!!

Likely plate or chuck ribs...cut.

lousubcap

+1 with @cazzy-likely chuck short ribs individually cut.  About all I find here and well-worth the cook.  Great eats await!

Mattman3969

Ok here they are. Is this a low and slow or smoke then braise?? @dmw @lousubcap @cazzy @sgh

Mattman3969

Egg is settled in at 250 with some oak. Just waiting for guidance. Thanks for any help.

cazzy

Mattman3969 said:

Ok here they are. Is this a low and slow or smoke then braise?? @dmw @lousubcap @cazzy

Yep...you're in for a treat if you cook them right. Hard to tell if they're short or chuck ribs, but they'll be great none the less.

Just make sure you let them get happy. They should probe like butter and should feel very spongy when you touch them.

Mattman3969

So straight thru no foil or braise, right??

DMW

I would smoke them for a few hours, then braise with beef broth or similar for a couple hours, then back out on the grid if they need more work on the bark. The "when" of each step would depend on how they look and feel.

Also, @cazzy is spot on (of course), don't pull them too early and wait until they are happy, and you will be happy as well.

cazzy

Mattman3969 said:

So straight thru no foil or braise, right??

It just depends...they can be really rich so it just depends how you're going to serve them. Braised short ribs are very good. I personally would go more fine dining with these and braise them.

Get a whole uncut slab from Restaurant Depot or a butcher and go BBQ with those.

Mattman3969

DMW said:

The "when" of each step would depend on how they look and feel.

Talk to me a bit about the look and feel. Moreso when you decide to go into the liquid. If doing a chuckie I smoke till 160ish and then wrap with beef broth. Sorry for all the questions just new ground here and I want them to be the bomb.

DMW

Mattman3969 said:

DMW said:

The "when" of each step would depend on how they look and feel.

Talk to me a bit about the look and feel. Moreso when you decide to go into the liquid. If doing a chuckie I smoke till 160ish and then wrap with beef broth. Sorry for all the questions just new ground here and I want them to be the bomb.

When the bark has set, but before it gets super hard and crusty, if that makes sense. I smoked some like that, cut into small pieces, however they were on bone. I can't tell if yours are boneless or not. Anyway, doesn't matter. I smoked those straight through and the bark got too deep for the amount of meat, if that makes sense.

Mattman3969

These are bone in And yes I totally understand about the bark setting. Thank you for the info.
When my neighbor brought the meat over this morning he was giddy like a school girl, hell I'm a bit giddy myself!! I just don't want to disappoint.