Try Again Beef Ribs


 
RichPB (richlife)

RichPB (richlife)

TVWBB Wizard
So I found some decent looking beef back ribs and decided (after seeing some others here) that it was time to try again. My only other attempt some years ago on my grill didn't have a good result -- tough and chewy. But this is being slow-smoked per Chris's instructions in Cooking Topics. IMG_20220616_103821145.jpg

I wanted to try my own idea of Montreal Steak Seasoning coated with my (low salt) Cajun spice. Looked good going on.
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Started up my 14.5 with the usual Royal Oak lump and two starter cubes -- no chimney, just poured the lump around the cubes with a butane igniter in place. Worked very well. Added some small maple chunks and larger cherry.IMG_20220616_122154560.jpg

With the top sections added, the old Maverick cooker probe inserted fully into the grommet (3") and all intakes mostly open, the temp came up to 234* and the smoke settled down to thin blue. Then put the ribs on, thinner on the lower, closed the intakes to 1/4 and began the wait.
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The temp fell to 212* after adding the ribs and holding, so I opened the intakes a bit and cracked the door. You can see the upside down door resting on the added bolts in this pic. Temp started increasing. At 234 again, closed the door and after confirming that the increase would continue, closed the intakes back to 1/4 again. Back to waiting and watching.
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Plate ribs.....those will cook down to not as much left as you may be hoping. They may also cook considerably fast.
There will still be some there and taste good I bet.
I have made beef ribs maybe 10 times and learned a bit.......
My tip is to try and find, or even better order from a reliable butcher ribs with about an inch of meat on top.
I have ones in the freezer with 3 inches on top and its a bit too much.
I don't know my cuts like a pro but I believe when they leave more meat on top of the rib they are taking meat away from another cut that brings in premium money so they become hard to find. I just order mine a week ahead and this is what I find works and makes a restaurant worthy looking plate.
Good luck on the cook.
 
"I wanted to try my own idea of Montreal Steak Seasoning coated with my (low salt) Cajun spice"

Rich, are you saying you make your own spice blends?
 
Joan said:
"I wanted to try my own idea of Montreal Steak Seasoning coated with my (low salt) Cajun spice"

Rich, are you saying you make your own spice blends?
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Frequently, yes. Especially Cajun which is my go-to. For this, Joan, I steer away from the specially hot as I can always add if that's what I'm after. Dried and powdered chilis are commonly available and always online. And the there are those wonderful sauces. I stumbled on a really fantastic Ghost Pepper sauce that I love --Woodstock. I won't bother again with their Scorpion Pepper sauce -- all heat no discernable flavor (to me).
 
ChuckO said:
Don't know too much about beef ribs, but your place in the background looks really nice
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I live deep in an old NC hardwood forest. We've been incredibly lucky to be here for more than 30 years. My principal hobby has been maintaining and improving this place until recently when injuries have taken me out. But I also love grilling/smoking and woodworking/carving.
 
@DarrDarryl - swazies , yes. I found these cheap when not looking and decided to do it. I'll pull and wrap in butcher paperat 3 hours. Just hoping, but I do have a butcher not too far away and may try Costco if they get some.
 
Looking good Rich. Really interested in seeing how those ribs come out. I've had a similar result of overcooked tuff beef ribs that I did years ago and never went back.
Barb works at Safeway and is friends with the butchers in the meat dept. I'm sure they could set me up if I want to give it a try again.
Are you using this recipe?

Beef Back Ribs In Pink Butcher Paper​

 
As I wait to wrap, the rest of the story. I have a frozen, uncooked stuffed jalapeno that I'll also add on the cooker. Also preparing a twice-cooked baked potato. I split my potatoes in half, EVOO well, add salt and pepper, then grill on to rack until squeezable. This time the same but cut out most of the inside to add the mixture -- potato, cheddar, garlic powder, and a tablespoon or two of French onion soup cream mix. I got that last tip from somewhere and it was fine. And I'll finish the potato in the smoker and the jalapeno on the grill briefly.
whoa! Don't forget butter!
 
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Costco has a sale on beef ribs. But the butcher is too good. Sliced all the meat off the bones. Now if I had a dog...
Yes. The meat comes off the prime rib so any meat left for ribs is money lost.
 
Shiners. That is the name for ribs cut to the top of the bones. Like above, you want some meat on top.
275, 5 hours, perfect.
 
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Rich Dahl said:
...
Are you using this recipe?

Beef Back Ribs In Pink Butcher Paper​

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Yes. But my own rub. Since these are pretty thin, I'll judge the timing as I go.

It's beautiful day here in NC -- temp now at 92* and muggy with a slight breeze. Some wouldn't like it, but I spend most waking hours outside mostly year-round so I can enjoy these more neutral days.

Tonto just wandered in for a pic, so...IMG_20220616_152222832.jpg
 
RichPB (richlife) said:
Yes. But my own rub. Since these are pretty thin, I'll judge the timing as I go.

It's beautiful day here in NC -- temp now at 92* and muggy with a slight breeze. Some wouldn't like it, but I spend most waking hours outside mostly year-round so I can enjoy these more neutral days.

Tonto just wandered in for a pic, so...View attachment 53080
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If I had those views, I'd be outside too!
I use most of my own rubs and seasonings as I'm on a salt restricted diet, I can control the sodium that way. Been using the same rib rub for over thirty years. Same with my taco seasoning and fajita seasoning.
 
So at 2:40, the ribs looked and felt ready and temp'd around 170, so wrapped and put back. As noted above, they definitely were reduced but I still hope to get a good meal. Lots of fat rendered, though I stripped most of it off beforehand. I'll check after an hour.
 
Now is oniof those times when all the work I put into this place over the years is well worthwhile! Big thunder clapper with copious rain just rode in and I and my WSM, etc. sit here dry with no interuption. Prior to 2010, that would not have been possible. (could continue but wet) and it's improved tremendously since. If you can get yourself a sheltered outdoor cooking spray, I highly recommend it.

Now -- the cook... Check after the hour, continued another 20 minutes and now unwrapped for about 30 minutes seeking better bark. The ribs are pretty close to done. Potato in, about to move jalapenos to the grill. Almost dinner time.
 
Ok, after enjoying my dinner, I can say that the outcome was good. Not great, but good. The meat was great tasting, the chew was good, not tough. It wasn't fall off the bone which I prefer, but bite off. Having this as the result in contrast with my first effort done on my grill, I'll definitely be looking for some good beef ribs as described above.

What wasn't so great was that my treatment contained too much salt on too little meat -- so it was salty, though still very edible. I'm anticipating another good meal tomorrow. The other issue was the very difficult silverskin. It was hard to get off to start with and I wasn't able to remove it completely which really affected the final feel. If there had been enough meat on the bone, I'm not really sure how that would have played out.

I hope this might be of some help to others. I did buy the wrong ribs (shiners or plate ribs), but thought the deal made it worth trying. It was, but could have been much better. My mistake kind of was precipitated by that first bad grill effort and not wanting to make a large investment on what I thought was something of a gamble. As we're always advised, go for the good quality meat. For my part, I should maintain confidence in my skills.
 
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