Beef Ribs, What Am I Lookin' At Here?

Killit_and_Grillit

I have never done beef ribs before. I have been reading today between work breaks on how to do them on here and I think I have a general idea. 

However, my buddy brought these to me from his freezer (he bought a half cow) and they were just labeled "beef ribs" (no $h!t, guy) so I don't know what I am working with here. 

I saw some other threads saying beef plate ribs, some saying chuck, some saying short, and people having different cook times. 

My questions are
"What would these be called" 
"Will the cut change cook time"
"Do I leave them whole or cut them in to smaller pieces?"

honestly I got so far down the rabbit hole on this forum today I'm passed overwhelmed and bordering on, "indirect 250 until we get hungry" so any and all advice here is welcome. 

RedSkip

I'd flip those over and cut on both sides of the bones evenly.   Look like short ribs to me, but uncut.

im not an expert though, I'd wait for more solid advice

gdenby

I can see some small sort of round bone ends on the centerpiece. That one is probably from the chuck. Those generally need some time braising in foil often w. added fluid to not be tough. You might cut the bones out, and slice the meat much thinner, 1/4 inch acrros the grain, and cook fast to brown the meat.

Look at the bone ends, if the bones are still there. Roundish ones are chuck, almost flat and nearly touching are plate. Plate ribs can be cooked indirect to internal temp of 190 - 205.

Killit_and_Grillit

The other two have very flat bones.

gdenby

Killit_and_Grillit said:

The other two have very flat bones.

That makes things so much easier, not! Some of the chuck bones flatten out at one end and look like plate bones there. Assuming they were all cut crosswise from the same section, they would all be chuck section. But who knows? Plate ribs besides being flat, often have a slight angle between their side edges, sort of like over lapping shingles.

Assume they are all chuck, and need some foiling to insure tender. They always taste good, but the amount of chew can be irksome.

Killit_and_Grillit

gdenby said:

Killit_and_Grillit said:

The other two have very flat bones

Assume they are all chuck, and need some foiling to insure tender. They always taste good, but the amount of chew can be irksome.

I've had a hard time id'ing a lot of stuff on this cow because it was so small.  I guess in that case I need to go ahead and get them going.

They are an app anyways, I was a little concerned about how they would come out anyways so I figured I would just experiment with these.

Shiff

Chuck short ribs (also true for Plate Ribs) do not need to be foiled to be tender.  There are numerous reports of beef rib cooks that do not need the braising step. Just cook them 4-5 hours at between 250 and 350 until they are tender when tested with a toothpick or other sharp object of your choosing.

There are certainly a lot of people that do braise them but, to me, that is a totally different tasting meal.

From the picture I see, I can't tell what cut these are.  My guess would be chuck short ribs.

Killit_and_Grillit

Shiff said:

From the picture I see, I can't tell what cut these are.  My guess would be chuck short ribs.

Thanks for the advice.

It was a scrawny little cow, a lot of pieces of meat he has brought over I have gone, "are you sure that's a ribeye, cause it looks like...bad pork.

lousubcap

I am of the no braise and go til they pass the toothpick test-likely somewhere around 210*F or so.  Run around 250-270*F indirect for the duration.  I use worcestershire for a (not needed) binder and some variation of a low salt Montreal seasoning.  You can spritz with a few shots of cut (with beer or water-can't tell if it makes a difference) worcestershire around 3 hours in and then about every hour til done.  Cook time can run from around 5 1/2 hrs to 7+ depending on the cow.  Sit back and enjoy the cook.  FWIW-

Killit_and_Grillit

Do y'all wrap these and put them in coolers like you would do a brisket? I have one still at 200 but the other two are at 210, foiled, and it's about 3 and a half hours before anyone gets here (they are an app).

lousubcap

As long as they pass the toothpick test when you pull them, you can FTC.  Let it /them sit on a cooling rack for around 5 minutes to stop the carryover cook and then FTC.  You won't get the extended duration hold given the reduced mass of meat but with a pre-warmed cooler and dryer heated towels, then placing in the sun you should (key word as I have not tried that long with ribs) be just fine from the health standpoint.  (The conservative health guidelines are <4 hrs with temp between 40-140*F so you are already home free in that regard.)
Just a question of hot enough to eat right out of the box.  FWIW-

Killit_and_Grillit

lousubcap said:

As long as they pass the toothpick test when you pull them, you can FTC.  Let it /them sit on a cooling rack for around 5 minutes to stop the carryover cook and then FTC.  You won't get the extended duration hold given the reduced mass of meat but with a pre-warmed cooler and dryer heated towels, then placing in the sun you should (key word as I have not tried that long with ribs) be just fine from the health standpoint.  (The conservative health guidelines are <4 hrs with temp between 40-140*F so you are already home free in that regard.)
Just a question of hot enough to eat right out of the box.  FWIW-

Thanks for the advice. I went ahead and snacked on one for lunch...these do NOT suck. 

I I think I found a new crowd pleaser...my wife is out rummaging through the cooler for the rack I already got into. 

gdenby

They safety issue is minimal. As above, you have at least 4 hours after they drop below 140F.

The toothsomeness might be a slight issue. As the meat cools, the gelled collagen starts to set. The fat starts congealing. Some people don't like the tongue and lip coating from cool tallow. Take a nibble before serving, and give them a minute or so of 'wave to bring them back to bubbling and steaming if the bite seems pasty.