How to Smoke Short Ribs
For a cook, short ribs are an interestingly contradictory cut of beef. When poorly handled, they are impossibly tough and unpleasant to eat. Yet when cooked appropriately, they develop a deep, rich beefy flavor and melting, tender texture. The secret is slow-cooking. Short ribs are made up of dense, tough muscles streaked with fat and connective tissue. When slow-cooked, the connective tissue turns to gelatin, softening the meat and giving it a rich texture. A smoker not only slow-cooks the ribs, it adds an appealing flavor of its own. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Dry spice rub (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- Smoker
- Wood chips
- Perforated grill pan (optional)
- Sauce (optional)
- Aluminum foil
Instructions
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Use ribs of a consistent size and thickness to ensure even cooking. Coat them with a spicy dry rub if desired, or season them lightly with salt and pepper before smoking.
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Prepare your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions, including the wood. Set the temperature as low as 185 degrees Fahrenheit or as high as 225 degrees. Beef ribs will stand up to stronger-flavored woodsmoke, such as oak, hickory or mesquite, but milder woods can also be used if desired.
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Place the short ribs on the smoker's rack or racks. Using a perforated grill pan, the type used for cooking vegetables on a gas grill, will make it easier to remove the ribs but still allow the smoke to circulate around them.
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Slow-cook the ribs in the smoker until they are fork-tender, 4 to 10 hours depending on their their thickness and the cooking temperature. The ribs can be brushed with a sauce during the last hour of cooking, if desired.
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Remove the ribs from the smoker when they are cooked to full tenderness. Wrap them in foil and allow them to rest for 15 to 20 minutes; then serve with your choice of side dishes.
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Tips & Warnings
Some cooks use a full foil pan, which reduces the amount of smoke flavor but makes it possible to add a cooking liquid, such as beef broth, red wine or a marinade.
Deboned smoked short ribs can be shredded like pulled pork for sandwiches or used as taco filling.
Boneless beef chuck "short ribs" are not really ribs, but cuts of the shoulder chuck. They can be prepared in the same way, with similar results.
References
- "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen"; Harold S. McGee; 2004
- The Virtual Weber Bullet; Boneless Beef Chuck Short Ribs; Chris A. Allingham
- Food Network; Memphis-Style Hickory-Smoked Beef Ribs; The Neelys; 2009
- Fine Cooking; Beef Short Ribs in Ancho-Molasses Sauce; Robb Walsh; July 2010
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
