Smoked Short Ribs for My Birthday

This is the last of my posts around my birthday dinner.
While I was typing this, it came to me that people who love cooking are a little weird. It was my birthday and I wanted to cook. She Who Must Be Obeyed usually spoils me rotten and is a great cook. She would have made me a stellar meal for the asking. I figure you have to have some kind of defect to be a foodie. The experience of cooking the food is on a par with eating it.

As for short ribs. I really like them. They are full of collagen and fat and therefore, full of flavour. If you braise them they come out tender and flavourful. This time, I decided to smoke them for an extended period in low heat to an internal temperature of 200 to 205 F. This causes all the collagen to melt and to give the meat a great flavour and texture.

I started by rubbing a layer of canola oil all over the ribs. Then I sprinkled them with salt. I have taken to leaving salt out of my rubs to give me more control over the amount of salt in my diet. I can put on just the amount of salt I want and can put on the rub to any level I like.

I made a rub up of:

  • 2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

I rubbed that into the ribs, covered them and put them in the fridge overnight.

I put them in a 230 F smoker with whisky oak barrel smoke for 3 hours. Then I brought them in the house and put them in a 230 F oven.

The reason I didn’t smoke them for the full cook is that a guest and She Who Must Be Obeyed don’t like heavy smoke flavour. You could leave them in smoke longer or you could do the whole cook in a 230 F oven  depending on the level of smoke you like.

After 4 1/2 hours in the oven, the ribs had reached an internal temperature of 203 F. I took them out and served them.

The Verdict

This turned out great. The rub gave the ribs a nice pepper/onion flavour and they were very tender. I would be happy to have these anytime.

That being said, I have smoked ribs and foiled them with some soy sauce and pineapple juice after 3 hours smoking. I did prefer the ribs with the foiling and pineapple juice. They have a softer texture with a touch of sweet.

I will do a post of the foiled version shortly.

If you prefer more bite and beef taste, make them this way. If you prefer a touch of sweet and a more braised texture, use the foil version I will post later.

The Old Fat Guy

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