Enjoy this post. Please read it because the short rib is journey folks and this post is the first mile of the trip. However, when it is time for you make yours, click here and follow the updated entirely new post. The update is - Dino Ribs.
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As a third update here are some times to cook short ribs successfully:
Indirect heat with a pan of water/apple vinegar.
11:30 am - Placed 3 short ribs from Whole Foods on at 250 deg using the digi-q
3:30 pm - Removed ribs - Meat felt "right" and rib temp was about 198
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Dear Lord, I know you are busy taking care of the those that are truly in need and I am aware that our founding fathers spoke of us never praying for our own needs but for the needs of others but please oh good and merciful Lord, just this once, can you please help me make a short rib that approaches the goodness of the famous Fox Bros. beef short rib. Amen.
Although my prayers were not answered on the first attempt. Read the black text for the step by step on my first go around and then the red text for updates on my second attempt.
Updated Photo! Go ahead and click to enlarge |
Research:
I've eaten at Fox Bros BBQ.
A number of times.
Also, again I approached my guru of BGE BBQ, Lee, and his 20 years of BGE experience. Finally, I watched a number of videos including:
Beef short ribs
Plan:
Gather the following ingredients:
4.5 lbs - Beef short rib from our banjo playing hippie butcher.
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup black pepper
2 aluminum pans (to hold the ribs)
1 gallon of apple juice
2 lemons
2 sprigs of rosemary
Honey
Fox Bros. BBQ sauce
Rub the ribs with salt and pepper, heat the egg to around 240-250. Install the plate setter and smoke the ribs with apple chunks for about 1.5 hours.
My second attempt was simplified. I rubbed with salt and pepper about 1 hour before putting them on the egg and left them out to warm up to room temperature. The plan is to cook for 3 hours at 225 and them wrap, coat with honey and apple juice and then cook until tender. I am estimating another 3 hours this time but I will cook until it is tender or it is nothing but charcoal. Standby.
Then place the ribs in a bath of apple juice, lemon and rosemary, seal with aluminum foil and cook another 2 hours or so. Then unwrap, mop with Fox Bros BBQ sauce and finish on the egg for about 10 min. Finally, pull them, wrap them, place in a cooler and let rest for 1 hour.
Execution:
It is Memorial Day weekend here and we are going to try and make beef short ribs. This is the first time that we have ever tried to make ribs on the Big Green Egg. Let's get going.
First we placed the thawed short ribs in our aluminum pans
and coated with salt and pepper al la Aaron Franklin.
Placed them on the BGE with the plate setter in. BGE temperature is steady at 250. Time is about 3pm.
Let's get the young men involved. The next generation of Big Green Egg masters.
Pull the ribs after 1.5 hours at 250.
Place in pans that contain apple juice, rosemary sprigs, and lemon.
Brush the ribs with honey before placing in the mix.
and place them back on the egg at 300 for another 1.5 to 2 hours until fork tender.
We pulled them out of the stew at 1 hour and 40 minutes and I measured the temp at 189 degrees internal. They still feel tough. So I decided to place them on the grill for another 30 minutes or so to allow them to continue to heat until they reach an internal temp of about 200 to see if I can get the connectivity tissue to break down.
Pulled the first 2 ribs at 7:45 after they reached a temp of 195 and felt tender. Two more aren't quite to temp yet...
Pulled the last two at 8:30.
Sauced 10 minutes before removal and then put in the cooler to rest.
Round number 2:
Salted and peppered and left in room temp for 45 minutes.
Ribs on the Big Green Egg at 11am.
HOUR 1 - 12PM - at hour number 1 the grill is reading 320 or so but that is dome temp so I am closing the air intake to about 1/4"
HOUR 2.5 - 1:30PM - at hour number 2.5 the grill is still reading 320 bumped the air intake down a little more. Too much can put it out, so I am treading lightly.
HOUR 3.5 - 2:30PM - pulled off the ribs and they smell great. Painted with chardonnay and honey, wrapped in foil and then returned to the grill. Sealed tightly.
HOUR 4.5 - 3:30PM - Temp holding at 280.
HOUR 6 - 5PM - Temp holding at 270. Checked the "Pull" of the meat and it seemed really soft. Gives with the turn of the fork.
HOUR 7.5 - 6:30PM - Pulled it off for 30 minute rest.
Ask and ye shall receive not on your time but on the Lord's time |
Verdict:
Ask and ye shall receive? The power of prayer people. Not so much this time.
This turned out 50/50 and that is being generous. The second batch that I let go longer were not good. Dry and tough. I'm not sure why. I'll do some googling around and update the next time I make them. The first batch that felt done and were tender were in fact, tenderish and really really good they just didn't pull off the bone like we wanted. They weren't what I was hoping for but received great reviews from everyone but I suspect they were sparing my feelings. Hold off making these for now.
Perplexing.
After doing some research it seems that I simply didn't cook them long enough. I will try this again soon. This time a will be following the advice of a very good blog that I found. Go here.
The Lord works in mysterious ways. Prayers are answered in his time, not ours. Today, the Lord showed favor upon the BGE. All I can say is cook the red text.
You probably could pull it off at hour 6 based on my warm cook but no damage done going a little long. It was delicious, soft, tender, smoke ring and you could pull the meat with a fork.
Please help support our site, buy something you like on Amazon. Simply click through the links below and though you can pick anything, I suggest the thermometer and knives below:
So apparently Thermoworks doesn't sell through Amazon anymore. You must buy direct. Still the thermometer to have. Go here and order direct.
Aaron Franklin's Favorite trimming knife:
Dexter-Russell (S131F-6PCP) - 6" Boning Knife - Sani-Safe Series
Aaron Franklin's Favorite Brisket cutting/serving knife:
Sani-Safe S140-12SC-PCP 12" Scalloped Roast Slicer