The truly amazing BBQ beef ribs are as simple as 1-2-3. But, we will reflect a little on this.
I grew up in Texas and I remember once, as a boy, my family went to dinner at a chain restaurant called Victoria & Station. It was a classic 70-foot chain, where diners do eat in the old carriage. Great stuff for kids. It was a prime place in the ribs, but on the menu they also displayed beef ribs - probably as a by-product of cutting their own main ribs. All I remember is that they were huge: full of meat and sticky with sauce. Since then, I have been in search of large beef ribs. In the case of these ribs we are talking not so much about the preparation of the ribs, but about how to find the right edge for the preparation.
In Steve Reichlen’s book The Bible of the Barbecue, he writes about making beef ribs, the so-called dinosaur ribs, using the back ribs from a grocery store. Although I like this book for the most part, I could not disagree with his recipe. He is not alone in recommending the back ribs for the recipe for beef ribs. On the surface, it looks logical: they are cut from the main rib, so the meat will be tender and neat. But have you ever seen these ribs? It's just a bone with a little meat thrown! You cannot blame the butchers - they are trying to get as much as possible the main rib for sale at a higher price. But you can have big ribs! I mean the best beef ribs — I call them Brontosaurus bones.
All you have to do is look for it - ask the food manager to order for you - beef ribs # 123B. This is the code from the National Meat Processors Guide (NAMP) for the 3 rib stand of the ribs cut from the cartridge. I am not joking when I tell you that it took me years to find and experiment with this recipe for beef ribs, but I slowed down a bit.
You want them for several reasons: a cartridge, while more rigid, more accurate, because it is a working muscle and has a high level of meat taste. And did I mention that they are huge? In fact, 3 rack ribs weigh about 15 pounds before cooking! Enough for you to cry like a baby. (these ribs are the same as the “short ribs” in the store, which are popular for extinguishing)
If you can take your hands on these ribs, here's how to prepare them: if you smoke them, you will need to smoke them for a while - if you keep the shelf intact, they take about 12 hours at 200 degrees, If you cut them on individual ribs, they take about 8 hours. If you do not have a smoker or do not want to smoke at this time of the year, use the stove. Place the ribs in a hot oven - 450 or so for 45 minutes or so, to develop some bark, then wrap in foil and continue cooking in a low oven - 2000 degrees. Cook them for 8 hours or more, to your desired tenderness. I like a little battle in meat, but some prefer it to fall apart.
How about a fancy rib? Do not disturb! There simply is no better rub for brisket, these ribs, steaks or any beef product than: kosher salt and pepper. Period.
Like Brisket, big cuts require a lot of seasoning, so go hard - you have a lot of inner surface to cover. On my old barbecue it was rare that anyone could eat more than 1.5 of them. This is beef blondy!
