What's wrong with my Beef Ribs?


 
K

KToliver

TVWBB Fan
Full disclosure; first time doing beef ribs on my WSM.

It is not about method, it is about cut. This a a 4lb prime cut after trimming. Notice the change in direction of the grain as well as the very deep hard fat cap that I had to cut out, leaving far less meat on the end ribs.

Why is this the case and why do these look so different from those I've seen in videos?

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The ribs look normal to me. I would have left a bit more fat on them knowing they’ll render down when cooking. I’d even say your raw ribs look great!
 
I know nothing about the cut, but wanted to get as much meat exposed as possible to make sure the seasonings and smoke get through.

Is it that the ribs are above the brisket and the one end of my ribs might actually be "point" meat?

At least we'll get 3 very nice ribs out of this...but paying for prime I expected to get 4. Guess I'll just have to be a man and take the skinny rib :confused:.

I'm going to have to learn how to see these changes in grain through the packaging. Oh well...I guess I'll just have to cook a lot of 'em so I'll learn!
 
Yeah, well, they are starting to look pretty awesome on the smoker as well...

I'll post a little beef p0rn in a bit...
 
Well, overall I was underwhelmed.

I did low and slow, 235 to 245, for 8 hours and I did put water in the pan. Bumped it to 275F for the last hour with a butcher paper wrap. Finished at about 203F.

Flavor was good but seemed overcooked and not terribly juicy. Oh well, first time was edible at least!

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Donna Fong said:
I'm guessing you could have wrapped earlier and that they dried out too much before the wrap. How did you make the decision to wrap when you did?
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Probably right. The bark was taking quite a while to set up so I waited until it hit around 190F.
 
Recco would be more fat left on when trimming, wrap at 165° bump temp after wrap.

You could add some beef stock into the wrap to aid in moisture.

Pull when butter tender when probing, vent the wrap and let reast for 1 hour while in a closed oven or cooler.

I’d say you did well for a first cook. Incremental changes and you’ll get that succulent beef rib.

In winter you can try some braised short ribs cooked in a dutchie oven. Talk about fork tender and a flavor bomb.
 
I'll "third" the recommendation on wrapping earlier. If you let ribs go too long in the stall, you lose a lot of moisture. Did that once and learned a lesson! I now wrap in foil as soon as they hit stall, bark be damned.

(IMHO, YouTube has "trained" people to focus too much on the bark and not enough on the quality of the finished meat. But that's another discussion for another time...)
 
Grant Cunningham said:
I'll "third" the recommendation on wrapping earlier. If you let ribs go too long in the stall, you lose a lot of moisture. Did that once and learned a lesson! I now wrap in foil as soon as they hit stall, bark be damned.

(IMHO, YouTube has "trained" people to focus too much on the bark and not enough on the quality of the finished meat. But that's another discussion for another time...)
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This.
 
Thanks, folks. I'm not giving up and will include these tips on the next run!

Another point that I'll take to heart...I'm hearing that a lot of folks are finding that the choice ribs often cook up as good, or better, than the prime.
 
KToliver said:
Thanks, folks. I'm not giving up and will include these tips on the next run!

Another point that I'll take to heart...I'm hearing that a lot of folks are finding that the choice ribs often cook up as good, or better, than the prime.
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I think Grant is spot on. Just remember that if a cow is graded prime, choice or select, it will be graded on how well marbled it looks between the 12th and 13th prime rib. That means, the entire cow is given that ranking, regardless of how well marbled the rest of the body is. Definitely look at the grade, if there is one, but the marbling is the most important factor. Sometimes a choice can look better than a prime. It can vary.
 
Everyone says beef ribs are one of the easiest cooks. I've struggled with them as well. I like plate ribs vs. chuck. Most of what you'll find is chuck. I find the level of fat can vary wildly even within the same rack. So part of it might be perfectly rendered and part is too rich to eat. Part of it might be too dry. They are kind of unpredictable as far as time because as they cook they get varying levels of pullback and cook time often depends on the thickness. In general, if you have prime plate ribs they are going to be pretty hard to dry out because there's just so much fat. I'd cook them hotter around 275 to 300 so you render that fat. My last cook is the first time I've been really happy with my beef ribs. I don't think wrapping is as critical with beef ribs, but it depends on the quality of the cut. If they are leaner I'd wrap. If they are super marbled I wouldn't.
 
I love short ribs.
Finding good ones is not always easy here.
I have only cooked them once but the meat was amazingly tender and juicy.

I’m a nerd when it comes to preparing for a new cook or a cook that I need help with.
I study what a lot of other people do and cherry pick what would work best for me.

I‘ve saved a few dry(ish) cooks by running the juices through a fat strainer, adding that back to the meat and serving on a deep(ish) plate.
 
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The ribs look good to me!
I'm one of those that doesn't wrap ;)
Next time, leave all fat on though. Makes for more tender meat. You can always cut it away later if it really irritates you
 
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