SMOKED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Our finished beef short ribs after applying our techniques we describe in this blog

Of all the cuts of ribs, this is likely my favorite.  Found between the 6^th and the 10^th ribs of the animal, the meat on these ribs lays on top of the bones rather than between them like with back ribs.  Short ribs require a method of cooking that will allow them to tenderize as they have a lot more meat, fat, connective tissue and flavor than pork ribs.  Because of all that fat and connective tissue, beef short ribs need to be cooked to an internal temperature of 200°F.

Today, I’m going to cook my beef short ribs on the gas grill using an indirect method of cooking and wood chunks to bring great smoke flavor.

 

Grill Set Up

The gas grill I’m using is equipped with 4 burners and heat shields over those burners.  I’ll be pre-heating my grill to maintain a cooking temperature of 225°-275°F.  I will only be using the heat of the two burners on the right side of the grill.  My short ribs will be placed on the left side of the grill with the two burners in the “off” position.

I let the grill heat up first before adding the cherry wood chunks to the heat shields.  While it’s heating, lets prepare the short ribs.

 

Dinosaur Cut

I prefer my butcher to cut what I refer to as the “Dinosaur cut” of short rib.  These are the actual length of the short rib, usually around 8-inch lengths.  The butcher will trim some fat but essentially, leave these with quite a bit fat to render during cooking to make them tender.

After trimming the fat to make most of the ribs even in size, it’s time to make a simple, flavorful wet rub before these go on the grill.

 

Fresh Herb Wet Rub

There are a lot of options for flavors that marry well with beef but I prefer to use as much fresh herb as I can.  This wet rub recipe will coat about 4 full size short ribs.

• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• ¼ cup black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  

Place each of the above ingredients into a mortar so I can control the amount of crushing to the ingredients.  I will be forming a loose paste with my ingredients by crushing the ingredients with the pestle.  I like to leave some larger pieces of rosemary and peppercorn to add texture to the finished ribs.  Once ready, I take the paste and rub it all over the ribs.  You can do this step the night before to allow for more tenderizing to the meat before it goes on the grill.

 

To the Heat

With my grill temperature registering at 275°F, its time to place the ribs on the unlit side of the grill.  I place 2 cherry wood chunks on the heat shield of the burner that is lit and close the lid.  These will cook unchecked for about 2 hours.  At that point, it will be time to add additional wood chunks and turn the ribs. I also place a small water pan on the grill to keep the meat moist during the final cooking time.

 

 

The Finish

Beef short ribs are one of those cuts of meat that require a lengthy cook time, preferably at a lower temperature.  Cooking via indirect method on the gas grill with wood chunks is the perfect way to do just that method.  Depending on the size of the short ribs you’ve purchased, this method will take 3-5 hours.  For a three hour cook, two cherry Single Filet Wood Chunks from SmokinLicious® is all that is needed.  For thicker ribs, you will likely need one or two more wood chunks.  Target internal temperature of the ribs is 190°F if you plan to rest them or 200°F if your going from grill to plate.

Beef short ribs, dinosaur cut, with rosemary-thyme wet rub.  The ultimate in smoked ribs!