Beef Short Ribs - 1st try

[kizeroy]

So earlier this summer, I purchased half a beef from a local farmer and had it processed into custom cuts. One thing I requested was short ribs from the plate. Today I finally set some time aside to smoke some. They were moved from the freezer to the fridge on Friday evening and yesterday they were still mostly frozen so I put them in a water bath to speed up the thaw time. Then I salted them and put them back in the fridge until this morning when I added Meathead's beef rub and got them going on the Weber kettle with SnS.

My question is regarding the cut itself. It looks like there are two sets of bones...two larger ones across the top and three narrower ones along the bottom. Is this typical? Then again, I wonder if I didn't thaw them well enough and these are actually two cuts that were placed together in the same package and frozen? In either case, they're off and running and I'll see what happens later! This is just a cook for myself as a practice run so I'll use this as a learning experience all around.



By the way, this steer was very small compared to others I've done in the past. What I've tried has been good though.

- Mark

[Bob K]

Interesting. There’s no set of bones behind or in front of the ribs on the animal. Maybe they are 2 racks fused as you said. If a small animal, they would be thinner than the ‘Dino ribs’ you see everywhere. So maybe you’re on to something! Good luck

[bbqLuv]

It appears to me to be two sets of ribs. My best guess is the plate ribs are on top of the back ribs, perhaps they were packaged that way. And I know not why.

[kizeroy]

Yes, it was two sets packaged together. I just didn't let them thaw completely prior to seasoning and placing on the grill. That means the bottom set probably won't be as good since it didn't get as much salt or rub. Again, a trial run so I'll know better for next time.

[kizeroy]

Finished up after around 9.5 hours. Not too bad, but not what I would want to serve to guests. Bark was nice and crunchy and overall good flavor, but just not as tender as I'd hoped. Might have something to do with the quality of the beef too as I have no idea how it was graded. I'll have to try again with something of known good quality, but this was a good start.

[Andrrr]

They look good to me. Regarding the tenderness, did you rest them after the smoke?

[kizeroy]

They look good to me. Regarding the tenderness, did you rest them after the smoke?

No, I skipped the resting part and went right to dinner. I saw some articles advocating a rest and others that did not so I chose not to do it. That will another thing I incorporate next time.

[Uncle Bob]

Considering you had two racks stacked your cook time was reasonable, though the bottom one might have "suffered" because of being "insulated" by the top rack. I'm in the camp that believes any cut with lots of connective tissue benefits from post smoke rest. I usually give plate ribs a minimum of 2 hours rest.

[GolfGeezer]

+1 on Uncle Bob's comment. Consider these like "brisket on a stick" - wrapping and resting really enhances both texture and moisture with these ribs.

[jfmorris]

Yeah... I would have pried them apart after they cooked for an hour, and let them cook separate. I imagine the thickness of the stacked ribs increased the cook time, and maybe dried things out. And of course, you got little salt penetration to the middle of that stack of meat, with them still frozen, and bones blocking the salt penetration...

I believe an hour rest is important for the ribs, just like it is for brisket, if you want maximum tenderness and moistness.

Don't let this experience turn you off on the ribs, but as others point out - the results are much like brisket on a stick, so treat it as such. I let them bark up until it hits about 170 between the bones, and then I wrap in foil just like I do my brisket, and cook to 200ish. Then rest an hour or more.

This reminds me I need to dig some ribs out of the deep freeze and cook them soon...

[kizeroy]

Don't let this experience turn you off on the ribs, but as others point out - the results are much like brisket on a stick, so treat it as such. I let them bark up until it hits about 170 between the bones, and then I wrap in foil just like I do my brisket, and cook to 200ish. Then rest an hour or more.

No worries there. I'll definitely be trying them again. I've been wanting to for a while and then at the last minute on Friday remembered to pull some out of the freezer. I still have a couple packages left. Next time I'll pull them earlier in the week to give them more time to thaw!

My end result was close to what I was hoping for. Given the rush job, they turned out ok. But I know I can do better and will try again soon. All part of the process of improving my game!