Beef short ribs have more meat than beef back ribs, and they make an impressive presentation: A single bone with meat on top can weigh 2 pounds! But more important than looks is their taste. The muscles on top of the lower part of the rib cage near the front of the animal are hardworking and tough. Cooked low and slow for hours, the fats and collagens melt into an unctuous mouthful that lubricates the taste buds and harmonizes gloriously with the spices of the smoke-roasted rub.
Makes 4 giant servings
Takes 15 minutes to prep, 4 to 6 hours to dry brine, and 8 to 10 hours to cook
1. Prep. Begin by removing all the fat and tough silverskin from the top of the meat. Don’t remove the membrane from the exposed side of the bones as you do with pork ribs, because if you do, the meat will fall off. Cut slabs into 2-bone sections. You can cook them in a 4-bone slab, but it takes a lot longer, and cutting the plate in half separates the thick side from the thin side.
2. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and dry brine in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking. Any time before cooking, rub the meat with the Big Bad Beef Rub. Rub it generously into the tops and sides to coat completely.
3. Fire up. Get your smoker up to 225°F or set up the grill for two-zone cooking and shoot for about 225°F on the indirect side.
4. Cook. Put the meat over the indirect-heat zone, bone side down, and add wood to the fire. Oak is traditional in Texas, and it makes sense because it is mild, but other woods work fine. Add 2 to 4 ounces of wood on a tight cooker, double that if it leaks a lot. Cover the cooker. As the meat cooks, you will not need to add more wood and you will not need to flip the meat. The meat is done when it hits 203°F in the thickest part. Wrap it in foil and hold it for about an hour in a faux Cambro (see page 50). This last step allows it to slowly carryover cook, further melting connective tissues.