Beef back ribs.

[splitshot]

I haven't ventured there yet> Local groceries trim all the good stuff off and it looks like buying a bag of bones priced by the pound. Occasionally these can be picked up dirt cheap, worth the effort?

 

[rusty_tlc]

Try to find flanken ribs, it's a cut popular in Pac rim cuisine. I like them with traditional 'Merican style BBQ or with Korean BBQ sauce.

Don't bother with the regular ribs unless they are dirt cheap. The best way I've found to cook them is to parboil them in a water with a heavy amount of salt and a good amount of cider vinegar. Finish them on the grill with BBQ sauce. Nowadays I suppose I would just brine them overnight, we haven't eaten them in literally years. If I'm going to eat that much saturated fat I want a rib eye or a porter house.

 

[splitshot]

I suspect the good ones come from establishments who do their own prime rib and leave a lot of Prime on the bones. These look like they would be great for no more than soup stock (unless your a dog, that would equal happy fud).
Thanks rusty, just looking for something new to smoke.

 

[Hack]

I did a couple racks of beef ribs on the smoker a few weeks ago. My daughter picked them up from Sam's Club, and honestly, they didn't look like they had much beef on them. And they had a real 'cow' smell to them. They were a real chore to get the membrane off the back, and trim up. Once they were trimmed, they didn't smell quite as bad. I rubbed them with olive oil, course salt, cracked pepper, and minced garlic. About 30 minutes in the smoker at 370-390 (dome temp) they magically puffed up. I let them smoke for four hours (hickory and apple), then placed them in an aluminum pan with some beef stock, covered it up tight with foil. Put them back in the smoker, adjusted the fire so I was around 350 at the upper part of the pit, and let them roast for another three hours. Pulled them out of the smoker, let them rest for 30 minutes or so, and they were fantastic. Those particular ribs had the large bones, when I cut them apart they were Flintstone size. But the meat was very tender. You've got to really cook them to a higher temp than you'd normally smoke at.

Give them a try.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Par boiling gets rid of the gamey flavor and smell. It also tenderizes them a bit. Reaching a high temp breaks down the connective tissue and give the finished product that unctuous flavor.

 

[Hack]

Never thought of the par-boil. But I'd need a good sized pot to do them in. Most of the smell, I believe was the old fat and membrane, which I trimmed. And the bone ends. It all disappeared after about 30 minutes in the smoker. There was no evidence of it in the final product. Just a rich beef aroma.

I totally agree with the higher temps. Getting the heat down into the bones will really break down the otherwise rubbery tissue. I normally don't wrap meat in my smoker, but I did with the beef ribs. Going to try some more before the snow comes.

 

[splitshot]

This thread needs method and pics.

 

[TXLX100]

Beef short ribs are awesome if you can find them cheap. Cook like a brisket and tastes even better.

 

[PossumPoacher]

6 hours at 285 did the trick for me.

 

[surfpig]

I do them once in a while. Like said, supermarket ones have all the good stuff cut off of them. A good butcher or Asian market is a better bet. Slow and low for the cooking. I've never parboiled them, but a brine and cider vinegar is good...

 

[rusty_tlc]

I do them once in a while. Like said, supermarket ones have all the good stuff cut off of them. A good butcher or Asian market is a better bet. Slow and low for the cooking. I've never parboiled them, but a brine and cider vinegar is good...

Par boiling cuts the grill time required and also gets rid of some of that tallow flavor. Give it a go.