Gooey soft short ribs

TheToast

Check out this guy's ribs 

https://instagram.com/p/BMijY4nAAAG/embed/

I've done short ribs a couple of times but they've never come out gooey like that. This is the same guy and his method:
https://youtu.be/5VOzSvEsCPg

Do I just need more practice or am I missing something?! 

thanks 

Foghorn

Most would consider those overcooked.  Think of a beef rib as a brisket on a stick.  A perfect brisket allows you to slice it 1/4" (or so) thick and each slice is soft/floppy to the touch.  If you cook it longer, it falls apart when you slice it - such that it is better to make pulled (or chopped) beef sandwiches with it.  A beef rib is no different.  By most standards a perfect beef rib can be pulled off the bone when you bite it off, but it doesn't fall off - just like a perfect pork rib.  So, by those standards the ribs in the videos are overcooked.

However, standards are for judges.  You should cook the ribs however you and your family and guests like them.  I suspect you can achieve ribs like in the videos if you do 3 things:

1) Start with GREAT quality beef.  The compression of the meat when it is poked is very impressive.  Getting average beef to do that is pretty much impossible (at least in my hands).

2) Spritz the meat every 30 minutes or so with something - a vinegar mix like in the video - or apple juice (my favorite) - or something.  The challenge of cooking beef until the meat it ready to pull is to keep it moist.  If you go too long it will dry out.

3) (This is debatable in an egg) - use a water/liquid pan when you cook - again, the challenge is keeping the meat moist.  This is probably not necessary in a ceramic cooker, and you have to watch for when the liquid all evaporates because the temp will climb rapidly if you let that happen - so most egg owners don't bother with it.

I hope that helps. 

I suspect several on here will watch the videos and conclude that he should have pulled the ribs an hour or two sooner. 

SmokeyPitt

I think it is just a matter of cooking them long enough and starting with a good cut of meat. 

In the vid you can see that is a fine looking cut of beef- nice and marbled throughout. 


I think the sprintzing is really only going to affect the outside of the meat.  The gooey-ness comes from all that melted fat throughout the meat.  It is just a matter of cooking them long enough to melt all the fat. 

TheToast

@Foghorn @SmokeyPitt Thanks for the advice, both. Appreciated. 

theyolksonyou

Penultimate