Beef ribs, how to pick em?

rons · Apr 9, 2009

I asked this in another thread but the thread died before I could get an answer. So hopefully you guys can give me some tips?

I wanna make GOOD beef ribs more than anything. We have a local place called Longhorn BBQ, they have the most amazing beef ribs I've ever tasted, I think 99% of the taste is the type of rib they use. I assume they get em from their own long horn cattle. The ribs are huge and really meaty, hardly any visible fat, but they are greasy, mmm. They look like their cooked as a single rather than a rack. All sides looked cooked and dark. They smoke them there and serve the sauce on the side, so you can eat just the smokey rib if ya like with no sauce, thats what I do. The meat is moist and tender and so super good. OK, that's what inspires me to try my own.

So, I've bought beef ribs at the grocery store, probably from standard old white face cattle and they are nasty. Small, hardly any meat on them. Lot's of grissle. Really their probably from milk cows that died of old age lol Any tips on buying the right beef ribs?

suprfast · Apr 9, 2009

I usually start with whatever is on sale. It sounds like this is not an option for you since you have tried this. You can try short ribs(or long ribs as i call them, check picture below) since they are meatier. Here is one cut i get from a local butcher for about 2.49/lb.

These might not even be short/long ribs but they are mostly meat with a huge bone. Some before and after pics for you

and after

as you can see these have a lot of beef on the bone.
kris

rons · Apr 9, 2009

Those look quite good! Maybe I'll go to the next larger town over (ours is small) and try a butcher shop. So there really isn't a preference on what breed the critter was they came from then? The ones we have in our local stores are small and almost pure fat...... Super fatty and greasy (not the good greasy either!).

cowgirl · Apr 9, 2009

I think you need to find a good butcher shop or someone that raises their own "beef" cattle.

suprfast · Apr 9, 2009

For the beef ribs i buy what is on sale. Savemart just had them for .77 cents per lb and my wife just about **** a brick when she saw me walk in with 40 lbs of ribs.
She changed her attitude when i smoked two racks.

Do you have a costco? I think they have the best meat for the price. Here in CA we have a lot of Carnacerias which are mexican meat markets. that is the only place i found the HUGE dino bones.
Sadly, beef ribs on the norm do not have a lot of meat. Try a butcher and ask them if they can cut you some beef ribs on the spot with a little extra meat on the bones. They might run you a little more, but for the most part they would rather sell prime rib than dino bones.

As for smoking i bring them up to a higher temp than i would a prime rib. The ribs are usually tougher than pork and require more TLC. I wrap them in foil at about 145 degrees and cointinue low and slow(you can switch to an oven at this point) until they reach 165-170 degrees. Yes this is considered WELL THE **** DONE but the foil has them real tender ALMOST falling off the bone. I still like to act like a carnavoir and pull the meat off the bone.

good luck and let me know if you have any questions(im just a newb, other will probably have better advice) as i love to cook beef ribs over pork any day. That is just me though
kris

tasunkawitko · Apr 9, 2009

an angus, hereford or angus/hereford cross should give the best, but there are so many good breeds out there that it's hard to single any out. if you go to the enxt town over, ask what breed of cattle they are and ask his opinion on that breed. most butchers will give you the straight scoop because they want to sell the best and give the best advice in order to protect their rep.

grothe · Apr 9, 2009

Sounds good ta me

rons · Apr 9, 2009

Thanks for all the good advice. I'll check some butcher shops. We do have a cosco but I'm not a member. So most beef ribs aren't that meaty? Man I wonder what that longhorn bbq place uses, theirs are really meaty. If you get a lb of them you are full after eating them. That with a few peices of garlic bread and you can't eat for 8 hours again lol

I just thought maybe there was some secret breed or something, thanks folks!

trapper · Apr 9, 2009

It is not as much the breed that make them meaty as it is how much meat the butcher leaves on them when they trim the "beef bacon" off of them.

rons · Apr 9, 2009

oh ok, those hosers, their just selling bones then

rivet · Apr 9, 2009

Don't know where you're at, but around here some of the best local beef is from "Saler" (pronounced Sa-leer) which is a real good easy to raise cow that's well liked because they have small calves and thus less problems. They are also related to the "Limousin" breed , which the area has a lot of too. They're a beige color animal.

Again, don't know where you are at, or if this is an option, but buying your own steer or half, custom processing it and keeping it in your deep freezer is the best option. You can't get better than locally raised grass fed beef. This last time we bought one, after processing, the whole take-home price came out to $2.19 per lb.

If the above doesn't work for you, look for a good butcher and stick with them through thick and thin. It will be worth the time and effort in no time.

Good luck and good hunting!

rons · Apr 9, 2009

thanks, good info. I'm in N. Idaho, I don't think I've seen tan cows around here, but I'm sure the beef comes from the next state over mostly (washington). I know oddly, the meat at our local Arby's is nasty gross. It's tough and thick. But the meat in Spokane Wa (20 miles from us) is really good, so I'd rather have Washington beef anyway :)

Our freezer is teeny, but I'd love to have it as full as I could with good beef!

Someday, I WILL make some good beef ribs, before I die I will I will lol

bigsteve · Apr 9, 2009

All the cows in FL are tan. Some have wicked Tan lines. The sunglasses can be a bit much though.

rons · Apr 9, 2009

rons · Apr 9, 2009

bigsteve · Apr 9, 2009

LOL Ron. I think I'm going to head over to the supermarket and get some ABT fixings. I think more "Friday night turds" are in order.

rons · Apr 9, 2009

Amazed I found one of your cow friends photo's eh? LOL

ATB time, cool!
When I told my wife you were making turds on the grill last week, you should have seen her face lol

azrocker · Apr 9, 2009

A lot of places cut the meat away from the rib for a rib roast. They then sell the ribs on sale but you get no meat. I buy them for my dog. I buy my beef throught the local co op so my meat comes straight from the farm. It is organic and delicious. Bison ribs are also good. These are my last beef ribs.

bigsteve · Apr 10, 2009

So when are you going to make some ABTs? With the pepper cored out and smoked, they really lose a lot of heat. Plus after you core them, you can soak them in milk to neutralize them even more.

Big cooking plans this weekend? Not me. This weekend is mine to be available for emergency calls at work. Probably a 50-50 chance of going in Saturday. Sunday there is almost no chance of being called in.

For Easter, Mamma's making Ham in the oven. I don't mind Ham cut up in dishes, and I like thin deli ham on sandwhiches. But a piece of Ham as dinner I don't like at all. Mamma makes it once or twice a year. I just shut up and try to choke down a couple of bites. Yuck.

All I have going on for cooking is some ABTs tomorrow evening. Throwing back a cold one while I sit outside watching the smoker sure is relaxing.

rons · Apr 10, 2009

I gotta get braver and decide if I want even more hair on my chest lol

Bummer on call eh? What do you do for your job? I'm a PC and Printer tech, so just m-f 8-5 stuff. I don't think I'm cooking anything this weekend, unless something jumps in the grocery cart tomorrow night ;-)

Bummer, I'll take your portion of ham, I love ham :-D

Man I hear ya, my favorite time is just sitting outside drinking a brew and watching something cook. Especially if the neighborhood is quiet....

Beef ribs, how to pick em?

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