BBQ Beef Short Ribs Recipe - TomCat BBQ (2024)

FAQs

How long to grill short ribs on a gas grill? ›

Heat up the grill to 400 degrees for direct heat. Grill the seasoned ribs 2 minutes per side. When done, remove from the grill and let them rest for 10-15 minutes. Before serving, cut the short ribs into smaller single serve pieces and top off with some chopped green onion.

I do short ribs in a slow cooker. I completely submerge them in liquid and they cook all day (8 hours minimum) and when I pick them out of the pot they quite literally fall off the bone, soft, tender and tasty. Low and slow (and long) is the way to go.

If they aren't braised long enough, they can be super tough to eat; if they are cooked too long, the meat will just fall apart. The key to preparing short ribs is to cook them until they reach a point that is just before they would fall apart.

Tenderness: Beef ribs are known for their tough connective tissues. Boiling them before grilling helps break down these tissues, resulting in more tender meat that's easier to eat. The slow, gentle simmering process allows the collagen in the connective tissue to convert to gelatin, which moistens and softens the meat.

Follow this tip: Pre-cooking the ribs before they hit the grill not only gives you more control over the cooking temperature, but it can also make for more tender meat. You can oven-bake, boil, or even use the slow cooker for pre-cooking before firing up the grill.

Arrange your seasoned short ribs on the oiled grates, cover the grill, and cook, flipping the ribs every two minutes and then closing the grill again, until they're golden brown on the outside and beautifully medium rare within.

Short ribs are a perfectly rich and meaty cut for barbecuing—plus, they're ready for the table in a fraction of the time it takes to smoke a brisket.

Checking for doneness of smoked beef short ribs

Beef short ribs should get to an internal temperature of around 96C/205F - at this point the connective tissue and intramuscular fat should have broken down to create beautifully tender and soft meat, packed with juice and flavour.

The first five ribs of the animal are shorter (hence the term “short ribs”), and the meat around them is more muscular than that around the other ribs. Like other tough cuts of meat, when slow cooked, short ribs break down and become incredibly tender and delicious.

If your ribs are chewy, you either forgot to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs or you didn't cook them long enough. If your ribs are dry, you likely cooked them too hot and fast. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to fix dry and chewy ribs.

Should short ribs be covered in liquid? ›

You want liquid to come about a quarter and no higher than half way up the side of the meat. Because of the curvature of the dino ribs, we'll be cooking them on their sides, so they make a crescent in the pan. Then, of course, you must cook them.

Grilling to a final internal temperature of 130°F (54°C) ensures that the short rib's intramuscular fat has softened but not yet rendered out, resulting in an unctuous and juicy steak. Slicing short rib steaks across the grain further tenderizes the meat by shortening muscle fibers.

Short ribs that are cooked completely submerged in liquid will come out with a thin, watery sauce, while those cooked in just a thin layer of liquid—enough to provide a moist environment under your Dutch oven's lid—will produce a rich, flavorful sauce.

To prepare beef ribs, start by removing the membrane so you don't wind up with chewy meat. If you want to use a rub you'll have to let the ribs sit overnight. Alternately, you can apply barbeque sauce while cooking. Once you know how you want your ribs, preheat your grill or oven to 225 °F.

Clean in-between the bones by removing the last bits of connective tissues with your knife, again using the tip as these sections can become quite chewy if cooked.

Short Ribs & Braising:

You don't need any special equipment to braise ribs. First, brown or sear the ribs at a high temperature then cook them in liquid at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. This is an excellent cooking method for tougher cuts of meat that will become tender after prolonged cooking!

While washing meat and poultry to remove dirt, slime, fat or blood may have been appropriate decades ago when many slaughtered and prepared their own food, the modern food safety system doesn't require it. Meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, so further washing is not necessary.