Beef Short Ribs - a new favorite of mine on the WSM...

[Alan D]

Haven't been around here posting in a while, but rest assured I'm still using my WSM and other Weber kettles and such...

I've often wondered why we don't see more low and slow short ribs, and that if they were cooked similar to brisket the collagen should break down at 190 degrees...I did try some short ribs, but didn't use a probe, and they were slightly tough and me and my wife had done some experimenting with it and saw that cooking the sliced meat in a skillet did in fact get the collagen to start breaking down and melting in with the muscle tissue...

I got around to finishing my experiment, and this time used a probe from the stoker into the largest piece of short rib. This is a 4 rib piece that I had the butcher cut down the middle across the bone (flanken ???). Both pieces weigh about 3.5 lbs. together and were a half a rack from the cow, at least how I understand the cut. They do have the thicker slab of prime meat as short ribs do. There were 8 short ribs, after done...

The seasoning was very simple, salt and pepper, and I didn't have a cracked pepper so used regular ground pepper.

I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to try this with just salt and pepper, as I just did a brisket for New Years and was thinking I would like the natural flavor of the meat, which is how me and my wife like prime steak cuts. He laughed at me and told me I might as well cook them in an iron pan if I was going to use salt and pepper...This meat just melted in my mouth...

You can see the collagen is melting in these photos. Both my wife and daughter have cooked short ribs in the dutch oven and pressure cooker, but this is the first time I've been able to acheive that same effect that happens to a brisket at 190 degrees when the collagen melts...

I just used salt and pepper, as I mentioned:

Tossed them in the WSM at 260, foiled them at 165, and took them to 192, it took about 6 hours. Oh, I will add that I didn't use hardwood lump, or any extra wood, but used the briquettes from Trader Joe's that have some wood in them, but the briquettes and not the lump. I most often use lump, but didn't want it for this, and I think it was a good choice.

This is what I ended up with!

 

[Don Fry]

Those really look good. I have made them before in my mini WSM and really liked the results. Only thing I do different is I use a foil pan because I short ribs I get are always individually cut and they are a little easier to deal with when they are like that. I will look around and see if I can get them cut similar to those you used next time they are on sale.

BTW what is that set up you are using for your WSM?

 

[Tim McCann]

Nice smoke ring!

 

[Tony R]

Well done Alan....they look delicious.

 

[Bill Schultz]

They do look really good, I also get them as individual ribs and love em. Well done Alan

 

[Tim D.]

Those look great Alan!! I've never smoked those before, but now I think I will, based on how good they look! Thanks for posting.

Tim

 

[Robert McGee]

Alan;
This is a very helpful post. I remember the first time I tried short ribs (standard cut) on my OTG. I did NOT do them "lo & slo" and they had so much connective tissue that they were near unedible. As an aside - My wife actually took a paring knife, cut the connective tissue away, piece by piece, then used the thin slices on a salad for one of the most tasty salads, EVER!

The only thing wrong with short ribs (done your way they are as tasty as yours look - good job)! is they have become so popular that they are expensive (over half the weight is waste - bone and connective tissue). But-t-t, done right, they are "nectar for the gods"...

We can all hope that with the improved weather, leading to bumper crops this past year, that beef cattle production will be up and beef will become more affordable to us all.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53

 

[russ olin]

Outstanding looking short moo ribs.

 

[Alan D]

BTW what is that set up you are using for your WSM?

Just an old Stoker, it could probably use an update. I used that Windows software, is it StokerLog ??? But I detest using Windows so haven't used that program in quite some time...the one thing it did kinda handle was opening the lid, the version I had didn't do it well, but it tried at least...lol I just make sure I turn the target temp down before I open the lid, try to leave it uncovered as little as possible, and after replacing the lid to wait until the temp rises. I'm so out of touch, I see they have a 14.5" WSM now...about time...that would be preferable for tailgating...

This process as I described to turn the heat down and open the lid can be more difficult with lump, as once it starts to fluxuate it's more difficult to get stabilized again, in my experience. For that reason, on long cooks I tend to use briquette.

BTW, a few commented on the smoke ring, I didn't use any extra wood other than what is in the Trader Joe's briquettes (possibly Cowboy brand, I'm can't remember...I use it because I can get it local...BBQ Galore close their shop by me... ).

Alan;
This is a very helpful post. I remember the first time I tried short ribs (standard cut) on my OTG. I did NOT do them "lo & slo" and they had so much connective tissue that they were near unedible. As an aside - My wife actually took a paring knife, cut the connective tissue away, piece by piece, they used the thin slices on a salad for one of the most tasty salads, EVER!

I've turned out 3 batches of "unedible" types in the past. Once they came out kinda ok, but more like Beefcon, at least to me it tastes like beef bacon...;-) That is why I didn't use any extra wood...

The only thing wrong with short ribs (done your way they are as tasty as yours look - good job)! is they have become so popular that they are expensive (over half the weight is waste - bone and connective tissue). But-t-t, done right, they are "nectar for the gods"...

The only way I have been able to get them soft in the past was to braise and stew, like pressure cooker or dutch oven.

But the price is actually not very bad, IMO, since you don't need to buy a 12-20 lb. packer brisket. Also, if you buy just a flat, they charge as much ore more than they do for short ribs. For example, this one piece here I cooked, which was cut in half, was actually half of a beef rack, but it is the short rib cut. Not to be confused with beef ribs, since those don't have near the amount of prime meat on them, and are left with much less fat/collagen/meat on the bones by the time they are sold.

I can get short ribs for $3.99 - $7.99, where $3.99 is when Lucky/S&F/Costco run them on sale and $7.99 being for prime cut naturally fed at Whole Foods. Point is 3.5 lbs. will feed my family, twice that amount if friends are invited, maybe 12-15 lbs. for a decent sized party. We're talking about $12 - $24 for a piece of meat...

This $#!T is to die for... I had a short rib with egg on a toasted bagel for breakfast and went into a nirvana state...

I normally have to pay about $1.99 - $3.99 for spareribs, and I consider short ribs to be a cut above pork, and they include the prime meat on them. To me they are worth the extra cost, and the fact that you don't have to buy a 20 lb. packer and have that much brisket, leaves this as a great alternative, IMO.

And these only take 6 hours, where a packer takes me 16-18 hours. That's a huge difference in fuel. I do spareribs about 4-1/2 hours, trimmed St. Louis style...that is what I have preferred to cook for ribs in the past...but move over rover, beef short ribs are moving in...