Beef rib lessons

booksw

A few weeks ago on this forum I began to learn that there are many different types of beef ribs and I am happy to test out what I can get here in South Carolina.  @ColtsFan posted a cook he called "beef plate short ribs" and taught me to look for NAMP 123.  I instead smoked the short ribs I get at my local grocery store, Harris Teeter.  They are sold in a pack of 4-5 individual bones (middle pic below).  The NAMP 123 instead is a set of bones.  I haven't been able to find the NAMP 123 but I did ask a local cattle farmer about short ribs and he sold me a piece of meat that is a set of bones (top pic below) So, I have them both on my mini max right now- a side by side comparison of brisket-on-a-stick!  They are definitely from different parts of the cow- the bone cross sections are a different shape.

logchief

You're in for a treat with either one.  There are basically two types of short ribs, plate and chuck and come in 3 and 4 bones.  The packaged cut up ones come out pretty darn good, but the whole ones are more impressive.

Enjoy and don't forget the pics.

YukonRon

Yeah, either way, you will be eatting better than 99.998% of the global population, if 10 million other people were also eating beef ribs.
You got this.

lousubcap

As above, however if you want to go in a different beef rib direction try back ribs.  Yup, same name as their pork cousins but an order of magnitude better.
Sometimes I have had a challenge with getting all the fat to render with the short ribs.
Regardless, toothpick test for the win.  Enjoy the banquet.  

booksw

Of course they were delicious BUT the plate ribs (if that’s what they were) were also grass fed beef so the experiment was not really well controlled . In my experience, grass fed tends to be dryer- or maybe I didn’t let them cook long enough- I’m not sure.  If I ever find beef back ribs, I will scoop them up

Hntnhrd

Around my area back ribs have been cleaned pretty thin by the meat cutters . I like the thicker meat on  chuck ribs. 

booksw

6 years later and many beef rib cooks in my pocket- I am planning another cook this Sat for a crowd of 9 adults.  I am also going to do local SC shrimp on the grill.  I have a new butcher shop in my area, owned by two guys who are cousins- Ryan and Carl.  I went in there last week and asked Ryan about bone-in beef ribs and he said he was going to ask around- he wasn't sure if he could get them or not.  A couple of days later he called me and said No Dice.  So- I started making other plans.  I actually really like the chuck ribs I can get from my local grocery store- Harris Teeter (owned by Kroger).  I know my local store will hold some for me if I ask in advance (they tend to sell out)- although it is located in a tourist area (Kiawah Island) and will be swarmed with people now through September so I try to avoid going there. But, I walked into the butcher shop  two days ago and Carl came in from the back pretty excited to tell me he can get me short ribs.  I honestly have no idea what type of short ribs he is getting or how much- I told him 9 adults and that was it.  They will be delivered to the shop tomorrow.

I think I will season them Friday night with my current favorite rub (made by Ryan and Carl) and maybe some worcestershire sauce and then smoke them with a mesquite chunk (mostly to get rid of it- I actually generally prefer something more mild but the beef ribs can hold up to the mesquite and I have had this bag for probably 10 years).  I 'll put them on when I get home from the farmers market around 10:30 AM and have a good 6-7 hour window which should be long enough to get them to the toothpick test.  Then foil towel and cooler until guests arrive while I prep the shrimp and change the set up for the hotter shrimp cook.

Im excited to see what type of beef ribs I get, and how they do!!  No matter- they'll be just fine.

WeberWho

I'm looking forward to the results! You're lucky to have a couple good butchers the way it sounds like.  

dbCooper

Sounds just great.  Hoping you take pics of the results and post them.

kl8ton

I'm guessing you will get individual ribs or  strips containing 4 or 5 ribs with the rib bones being one to two inches long. If so, you will enjoy more surface area for rub/smoke adhesion. You may need to watch that they don't dry out. Many short rib recipes call for a braise.  

I look forward to the result!  Please post pics!

booksw

Also- while they are on the smoker during the day tomorrow- I aim to spend time in the pool.  It doesnt get much better then the whaft of smoking meat- the perfect background for pool days.

kl8ton

booksw said:

Also- while they are on the smoker during the day tomorrow- I aim to spend time in the pool.  It doesnt get much better then the whaft of smoking meat- the perfect background for pool days.

I agree....the smell is just the best.

alltoowelltay

booksw said:

Of course they were delicious BUT the plate ribs (if that’s what they were) were also grass fed beef so the experiment was not really well controlled . In my experience, grass fed tends to be dryer- or maybe I didn’t let them cook long enough- I’m not sure.  If I ever find beef back ribs, I will scoop them up

Wow, it does really look delicious!!

xavier233

booksw said:

6 years later and many beef rib cooks in my pocket- I am planning another cook this Sat for a crowd of 9 adults.  I am also going to do local SC shrimp on the grill.  I have a new butcher shop in my area, owned by two guys who are cousins- Ryan and Carl.  I went in there last week and asked Ryan about bone-in beef ribs and he said he was going to ask around- he wasn't sure if he could get them or not.  A couple of days later he called me and said No Dice.  So- I started making other plans.  I actually really like the chuck ribs I can get from my local grocery store- Harris Teeter (owned by Kroger).  I know my local store will hold some for me if I ask in advance (they tend to sell out)- although it is located in a tourist area (Kiawah Island) and will be swarmed with people now through September so I try to avoid going there. But, I walked into the butcher shop  two days ago and Carl came in from the back pretty excited to tell me he can get me short ribs.  I honestly have no idea what type of short ribs he is getting or how much- I told him 9 adults and that was it.  They will be delivered to the shop tomorrow.

I think I will season them Friday night with my current favorite rub (made by Ryan and Carl) and maybe some worcestershire sauce and then smoke them with a mesquite chunk (mostly to get rid of it- I actually generally prefer something more mild but the beef ribs can hold up to the mesquite and I have had this bag for probably 10 years).  I 'll put them on when I get home from the farmers market around 10:30 AM and have a good 6-7 hour window which should be long enough to get them to the toothpick test.  Then foil towel and cooler until guests arrive while I prep the shrimp and change the set up for the hotter shrimp cook.

Im excited to see what type of beef ribs I get, and how they do!!  No matter- they'll be just fine.

Love the excitement! Carl's surprise delivery has got me curious too! Fingers crossed it's a great cut. Your plan sounds solid, and I'm sure the mesquite will add a nice depth to the ribs. Can't wait to hear how they turn out and what type of short ribs you end up with. Good luck with the cook, and I hope your guests enjoy the shrimp and ribs combo!

booksw

@xavier233 Im sorry it took me so long to come back to this post.  On the day of the delivery I got a call from Ryan that my meat was not on the delivery truck- it was a no go.  I was able to score some chuck ribs at Harris Teeter and cook them the way I always do- they were delicious and the shrimp were too.  I am going to have to ask Carl and Ryan to give it another try...