When it comes to the ultimate barbecue show stopper, it’s hard to beat a beautiful rack of beef ribs. With long bones, meat 2 inches high and intense marbling, short ribs are just flavour on a stick.
As a simple guy who thinks in facts, all good barbecue can be summarised as the following:
Good BBQ = Meat + rub + smoke + time + REST
The cooking flowchart is as follows:
- PREP: Trim + season
- SMOKE: 2-4 hrs (to colour)
- TENDERIZE: 1.5-3 hrs to ~ 93°C
- REST: 1 hr + Let steam off
Lets rock and roll.
Method
Good Meat
- Good ingredients are essential
- Source short/plate ribs (NOT BACK RIBS) from a premium butcher (like Peter Augustus) that supplies top quality beef
- A well shaped 2-3 bone plate is perfect
- Trim the thick layer of fat and silver skin from the top
- See how thick the fat is – this will not break down and will stop your rub and smoke getting penetrating into the rib and forming that bark we are looking for
BBQ Insider
Bark:
- Intense, tasty shell formed through low and slow cooking
- It is complex chemical reaction formed through the smoking process
- But essentially:
- Good bark = Meat + rub + moisture + smoke
The Rub
- Use a high grade commercial rub designed for beef- more savoury, herbaceous
- I like Kosmo Q, Oakridge BBQ or Slap yo daddy bbq (all competition teams)
- Avoid sweet rubs for pork/ribs
- Use a Shaker
- Use a thin binder – I like oil or Worcestershire sauce
- Apply the rub liberally and from a height to ensure even coverage
BBQ TIP:
- DON’T rub the rub
- PAT the seasoning in (rubbing spreads seasoning unevenly)
The smoke/temp
- 128-135°C (250-275°F)
- Smoke to colour
- Note the colour transition in photos
- Smoke for 3-4 hrs (mahogany-dark)
- For beef – I like oak, cherry or hickory
Time
- You’ll hit the stall (a plateau in temp) at around 70°C
- Double wrap in foil or butcher paper and put approx. 50-100ml beef broth
- I like foil because you can neatly keep in juices
- Smoke until probe temp ~92-96°C between bones (temp probe should slide in and out easily)
Rest
- The hardest part of the cook
- Open the foil pack, let steam and dry out for 10 minutes
- Throw loosely tented rib into cooler with a gap in the seal
- Rest at least 1 hour
- Cut between bones and devour
