Beef Rib Success, Sort Of

Dredger

Finally was able to get a couple of slabs of beef chuck ribs. Seasoned them up and got the egg stabilized at 225, raised indirect. I was surprised how quickly they cooked and passed the toothpick test. I was looking for fall off the bone, but did not achieve that. They had great flavor though. Any suggestions? These were on for around 3 hours. Can't find plate ribs around here anywhere, so had to settle for chuck.

JohnInCarolina

I think you probably just pulled them off a bit early.  Three hours is pretty fast for these, and it doesn't look like you got much in the way of char compared to what I'm used to.  

You could also try putting them on the JoeTisserie, of course.  

blasting

Ribs look great @Dredger

THEBuckeye

I go at 250, raised indirect for 4.5 hours, then lighty sauce and go for another 30 minutes. 

Nice plate pic....no forks! 

Chris8938

I've never had fall off the bone beef ribs, even cooking for 5+ hours.  I would think if you foiled, you could get that(?)...

Eggcelsior

THEBuckeye said:

I go at 250, raised indirect for 4.5 hours, then lighty sauce and go for another 30 minutes. 

Nice plate pic....no forks! 

Something is tong with you.

YukonRon

You may wish to reach out to @lousubcap. He has the beef ribs down for the process, if you were not totally satisfied with yours.

They looke delicious. The sides look awesome as well.

Dredger

Thanks @JohnInCarolina, I'll try increasing the time next time. I was afraid of turning them into hockey pucks like I did the individual ribs. Actually, I did consider the Joetisserie, but the AR was already set up in the egg, so went with that. Thanks @blasting, I appreciate that. @THEBuckeye, thanks for the suggestion. And yes, no forks. @Chris8938, it's a work in progress. @Eggcelsior, you're funny, lol.

YEMTrey

I agree.  Looks like they could of used more time.  should have had more pull back on the bone and bark. 

Dredger

Thanks for the suggestion @YukonRon. I'm probably going to throw the remaining slab into the kitchen clock with a little beef broth to try and finish it off a little better. Flavor was great, just not as done as I would have liked. Thanks @YEMTrey.

lousubcap

Late to the party (road-trip today).  I have no secrets with beef ribs (chuck short (can't find plate either) or beef back.  I run around 250-260*F on the dome and figure around 6-7+ hours for the shorts and 5+/- for the back ribs.  Good bone pull back lets you know things are moving right along but for me it's the good 'ol toothpick test for the win.  Probe the meat and no resistance means you are there.  FWIW- 

SciAggie

@Dredger @lousubcap has far more experience than me so give weight to his response. I too have had issues getting beef short ribs to come out really tender. My ultimate solution is to wrap them in foil for some period of the cook. My reasoning is that braised short ribs are a thing - and have been for a long time. I feel that unless you are buying prime grade ribs with a lot of fat, then the ribs need a little help. Wrapping them for an hour or more will braise/ steam them enough to get the tenderness we want. That's my attack plan. My disclaimer is that I have not implemented this method enough to guarantee that it's a solid plan of attack. 

XC242

I've never had or tried to get fall off the bone beef ribs. I just look for probe like butta and when they got there they've been as good as any beef I've ever had. Still had a little chew to them. But could basically cut them with a fork. What you have there looks pretty doggone good to me. 

johnkitchens

I need to try these soon! Looking good. 

Dredger

Thanks @lousubcap, for the most part, the toothpick test told me they were done, however, they weren't as tender as I wanted. I decided that I would put them back on the egg for a couple of hours instead of finishing them in the oven. We'll see. I appreciate your advice. @SciAggie, I'll foil them when I put them back on tomorrow to see how it goes. Having to work with the ribs that I can find. Might be chasing a unicorn, lol. Thanks, @XC242, the flavor was great and I'll see how it works adding a few hours to the cook. I appreciate that @Johnkitchens. The great thing about the egg is that you can always drop back and punt. Supposed to be pouring rain, but that's never stopped us before. 

nolaegghead

Chuck short ribs are leaner than plate, but they're usually the thickest.  Since they have less fat and more connective tissue, they benefit from a braise, so foiling is a good intermediate step.

Dredger

Thanks @nolaegghead. That makes sense. Appreciate the input. Will foil them and put them back on later today.

northGAcock

Getting back on the horse I see. Those look good to me. 

gdenby

Even using plate ribs, I've only ever had 1 fall off the bone. And as above, the cook time is usually more like 4 hours.

Where I live, butcher shops are the only reliable place to find plate ribs. Only seen a few over the years at local chains.

The chuck ribs are much tougher. They can be nicely tenderized in an SV. Around 135F for 48 - 72 hours. They nearly fall apart coming out of the SV. The a quick sear, maybe 5 minutes direct at 450+. Black on the outside, red on the inside, and the meat kind of pops when bitten.

Dredger

Getting back on the horse I see

You know me @northGAcock, I'll stay on that horse until I get it right. Thanks. That's the Virgo in me. @gdenby, still contemplating the SV subject. Just not there yet.