Ahhh … the humble Beef ‘Short’ rib.

 

Greetings my Carnivores,

Everything is right in the world. The weather is BEAUTIFUL, the birds are singing, I’m rocking the tunes (The Outlaws), my pooches are asleep at my feet, I’m sipping a delicious manly beverage AND, MOST importantly the workday is finished.

Today my friends, I present something I just LOVE cooking but first, by way of a little teaser let me give you some background info.

Being a Butcher first and a Foodie second, I have to give you the meat cutters’ side of things; stay with me. My ‘hope’ here is that I can impart some of the knowledge I’ve gained over the years and pass it on. The recipe part is just me faking it and … I’ve had LOTSA fails BUT, this one is a winner.

Here we go. There are 13 ribs on each side of the beef carcass. 4 come from the Chuck, 7 make up the Rib section and the last 2 are in the hind quarter. The Rib section is also known as Standing Rib, Rib Roast or Prime Rib and when the bones are removed, the cut is then known as the Rib Eye.

I mentioned in an earlier post the reason you don’t often find beef ribs in the meat counter is because the butcher gets MUCH more money for them when he can sell them as a bone-in product (bone-in Rib steaks or Prime Rib roasts).

Which leaves us with my post today … the humble Beef “Short” rib.

Oh my, these big, fat, bad boys as I said earlier come from the Chuck section and are absolutely spectacular when cooked low and slow but, first things first.

Ask your butcher for Short Ribs and he will ‘probably’ sell you strips (4 bone sections cut across the bones) in varying thicknesses depending on what you ask him for. For purposes of this post I’m going to show you how I like to treat these guys.

I buy these things whole (mostly because I like to do things MY way, call me Anal it’s ok … I have broad shoulders)

Now, … I have a saw (a plain old hacksaw with a course toothed blade I use JUST for meat) to cut through the bones then, I finish the job with a sharp knife. Once this job is done, you’ll have two, four bone sections.

I like to remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs. This is a ‘relatively’ easy process but, relative is a relative term and can be real pain in the arse so, you can just leave it on if you like. Live and let live, right ?? Taking it off changes nothing (except when you’re gnawing on the rib like a Caveman, Carnivore style) then … you’ll want to take it off.

You can do anything you want with these … Braise, Roast, Smoke, Clay Bake, BBQ (just PLEASE, make sure you cook them low and slow) but HERE’S what I like to do.

Cut them into 2 bone sections

I oil the ribs and salt and pepper liberally then, build my rub flavours. These things cry out for garlic and other savory ingredients such as Rosemary, sage … fill in the blank.

Then, off to a Dante’s Inferno hot oven (450 or better) for 30 minutes to create a sear. Roll the temp down to 275 for the next 3.5 to 4 hours. This a labour of love people so … don’t rush.

You will be rewarded with something that looks like this … serve with garlic mashed and a side of something green for colour … oh my, they fall off the bone !!

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Until next time Carnivores, stay hungry and as usual, please follow my posts on Twitter @DougieDee and like and share them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/carnivoreconfidential