Cross cut short ribs

[Mosca]

I’ve never had any luck with these. They are a mainstay at many casino dinner buffets, but they are always dry and chewy. The couple times I’ve tried them at home, they’re always… dry and chewy.

Admittedly it’s been a long time since I’ve given them a shot, and I decided yesterday that these looked too good to pass up:




At $10.37/lb they’re on the cheap side for beef right now, and this pack of choice was marbled more like the primes than it was like the other choice packs, so here it is. And I’m on my own tonight for dinner, so if I screw it up it’s on me to eat the mistake.

Who does these properly? I know it’s hot and fast, but there’s gotta be a timing thing going on here, where too soon and too late are both bad.

[SheilaAnn]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/food-recipes-techniques-show-us-what-youre-cooking/show-tell/1833281-show-us-what-you-re-cooking-suwyc-volume-41-spring-2026?p=1851255#post1851255

[CaptainMike]

I marinade them like skirt steak, Korean or Mexican style. Then hot and fast over charcoal. They're going to be a little chewy because of the cut, but those look really nice.

[Ace]

+1 on marinade. Then hot, fast, medium rare. Good stuff... 😎

[Lynn Dollar]

I love them for taco meat, makes great carne asada tacos. I grill them direct. It doesn't take long.

They have a lot of fat, two zone is necessary as they will flare up.

[Donw]

We marinade them Korean/Oriental style and then hot and fast using a little Lodge Sportsman Grill. This exact question was what led me to AR and the Pit years ago.

[Mosca]

Yeah, I looked up some of the marinades. Yeesh! I’m not leaving the house to get orange juice, pineapple juice, Asian pears, fresh ginger, apricot preserves, or anything like that, just to marinate a couple flankens.

What I have is a few ounces of Kansas City BBQ sauce (the Meathead original, from 20 years ago, still the best home made sauce I’ve ever had), and I mixed that 50/50 with some apple cider vinegar.



That should work. All that other sh… er, stuff, is in the sauce anyhow. The lemon juice, the Worcestershire sauce, the sugars, etc.

[Donw]

Our oriental marinade doesn’t usually need a trip to the market

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Sriracha or Tabasco sauce
6 cloves garlic, pressed, crushed, or minced
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 small onion (about 1/4 cup), chopped coarsely
4 pounds beef short ribs, bone in

[Mosca]

Ginger, sesame oil.

[Richard Chrz]

SV sear is our general

[fzxdoc]

This.

[Hulagn1971]

Richard, what is your SV process? Time and temp please. Beef for tacos style.

[Richard Chrz]

Hulagn1971 let me look through my notes, but it kind of depends on..are you wanting steak like beef for tacos, or.. or are you looking for tender slow cooked beef.

[Mosca]

Oh, these came out really good. Coming to SUWYC.

[Michael_in_TX]

I actually like cooking and eating these, but -- in a rare HEB complaint -- our HEB butchers cut them way too thin. Yours look perfect.

[Uncle Bob]

The thinner cut is more traditional for Asian style preparations which is likely their target. The thicker ones that Tom shows are probably the "Americanized" version.

[BKYDBBQ]

I like them...the stores around here call them "Flanken Ribs" and I usually use an Asian based marinade...

[Uncle Bob]

A side story on flanken ribs...
When I sold my business a number of years ago, the guy who bought it was Korean. One of the things I told him I did for my crew was we would occasionally do a BBQ lunch (a gas grille was part of the equipment inventory he purchased). Our typical fare was burgers, dogs or ribs. Part of the sales agreement was that I would work with him for a month after closing to guide him through my systems and introduce him to our referral network. On the final day of my obligation he said he would like me to do the cooking for a crew lunch, he'd bring ribs. No problem was my response. I was expecting the usual pork spare or back rib racks. When he brought out the marinating container I was introduced to flanken style ribs. I had to admit to him those weren't what I was familiar with and needed his guidance on cooking. He had his vision of ribs, I had mine.....another life lesson about communicating. Turned out just fine, and his marinade was authentically delicious. Added bonus, my food knowledge/experience was broadened.

[Mosca]

I’m going to strongly recommend the marinade of 50/50 apple cider vinegar and bbq sauce, which will get you an American bbq flavor. Think about it: a secret hack for grilled chicken thighs is 50/50 bbq sauce and Italian salad dressing. But the beef doesn’t need the oil from the salad dressing, just the vinegar.

When I served these, I had some sauce on the side. It doesn’t need it. And I did 600°, 2 minutes each side then a 2 minute dwell with all vents closed; I’d skip the dwell next time.

[jfmorris]

Was that direct, indirect? On the BGE I assume? I have the exact pack of ribs from Sam's that I bought last night, and I think I will try your mix of BBQ sauce and cider vinegar as the marinade this afternoon, and grill them tonight.

[Mosca]

Direct, BGE. I had those coals stacked to about 3” below the grate. Photo is in SUWYC.

[bbq_esq]

Asian-style marinades/sauces are popular, though they also make great tacos.

[jfmorris]

Charley Langer posted this recipe a number of years ago that I can vouch for:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/beef-steak-brisket-roasts-prime-rib-etc/975824-kalbi-beef-short-ribs-improving-sear-and-bbq-flavor#post975824

I just bought a pack of those yesterday at Sam's Club, as they were nearing their sell by date, and marked down 25%. I'll be mixing up a marinade some time today.

I don't try to smoke kalbi - just grill hot and fast, and this is one I will likely take to the gas grill with the Grillgrates, per Charley's comments in the recipe. The marinade steaming off in the valley of the grill grates smells wonderful.

Cooking kalbi is what about destroyed my Weber Genesis 4 burner back in 2020 or 2021 when it was still almost new. I had done 6 to 8 pounds of kalbi, and just shutdown right after the cook. The NEXT cook a week or so later, during the preheat, I guess a bunch of grease started a grease fire under the grill grates panels, and I came out to a grill on fire. I had to replace several Grillgrate panels, and use C clamps and blocks of wood to bend the cast aluminum body of the grill back in where it was warped badly at one end, to where the lid would close again.