I just bought a two pack at Costco labeled "Beef Short Ribs bone in" I think these are the "dino Ribs' I have heard them called? the ribs are about 8" long. I havenet bought them before just eaten someone elses cook. the meat looks all even on the bone raw, but cooked does the meat shrink and thicken? the ones my neighbor made were thick meat on one end of the bone when we ate them.
Is the basic idea to;
- trim fat cap
- remove membrane
- rub
- smoke for about 8-10 hours or 200IT and tender much like a brisket?
Should i wrap or only if needed for time sake?
Pretty excited to try these out!
thanks!
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I'm no beef rib expert but here is what I have for ya.
Yea the meat on the ribs will "shrink" or more like bunch up quite a bit. Hopefully it only shrinks away from the bone tips and not from the sides. Either way it eats fine but doesn't cut well when the meat is halfway off the bone hahaha.
Your plan is pretty close.
If there isn't an excessive amount of fat I wouldn't trim too much. One quirk to beef ribs is them drying up a bit on the MEAT sides (not the bone tip sides) so leaving excess fat on them and especially the MEAT ends (not bone tip ends) should help some.
Again the quirk is the meat sides drying up so in research you will find people recommend spritzing after a while to avoid drying up on those ends.
I took a different approach in this post here:
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/1st-time-beef-ribs-with-new-technique-and-qview.272619/
I peeled and repurposed the membrane. I cut the membraine in half longways, draped it over the meat end and pinned it to the meat with toothpics!
This acted like a protective layer to keep those ends from drying out the same way fat does. I was super pleased with the experiment because I don't like spritzing or messing with the meat in my smokes unless I MUST for some reason. I also smoke in an MES which has no issue retaining humidity or moisture so that helps.
As for the membrane, again up to you and my little trick repurposed it.
I personally am all for rolling unwrapped the entire time! I am also in the camp of 275F+ for smoking beef ribs.
Watch over salting the ribs. yes they are big and hearty but they aren't as thick as a pork butt or even a brisket so beware over salting. I would recommend adding salt separately from the other seasoning/rub ingredients.
Finally, beef ribs are done when they are tender much like a beef brisket. I think checking at 200F is a good temp to start.
The trick with beef ribs is to
check for tenderness between the bone and the meat as well as all over. When the tenderness test passes as you pass a toothpic or kabob skewer between the bone and the meat (right as they come together) then you can ensure tender ribs all over.
OH one final-final thing. If you use pellets and can get your hands on 100% Mesquite pellets (Lumberjack brand) then I encourage you to roll with them for the beef rib smoke and prepare to be amazed!!!
That is all the tips and recommendations I have! Best of luck and I look forward to seeing the pics of your smoke!
