Texas Style Beef Ribs
In Texas, BBQ revolves about one thing only: beef!
They’re so proud of the quality of their beef, in fact, that texans don’t allow any other distractions on their plate. That means no sauce or exotic spice rub. Instead, to complement the strong beef flavor texans prefer a dalmatian rub, a simple mixture of salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
For this beef ribs recipe it is important to use nicely thick rib racks of a finely marbled breed and to take your time when cooking. After about 8 to 10 hours inside the bbq, smoking with a strong wood variety, you’ll be able to sink your teeth in an exquisitely flavorful piece of beef.
The ingredients:
(serves 4)
Beef ribs
- 1 short rib (a rack of 4 ribs) of about 4 1/2 pound
Dalmatian rub
- 2 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 3 tbsp coarsely crushed black Pepper
Gear:
- BBQ for indirect grilling
- 3 hickory chunks (blocks of smoking wood of about 2” x 2”)
- butcher paper
- Phillips head screwdriver,
- BBQ Guru
How to make:
Duration: prep 1/2 hour
Cooking about: 8 hours
Configure the BBQ for indirect grilling and heat to 240 ºF (115 °C).
The back, the exposed bone side of the rack, is covered in a tough membrane. Work a screwdriver in between bone and membrane and, making a prying and pulling motion, remove the entire membrane from the bones. Using a small knife, cut off the fat layer and any remaining pieces of membrane on the meat side until the meat is nice and clean.
Combine the sea salt and black pepper for the Dalmatian Rub and generously sprinkle the entire beef ribs with the mixture. Don’t be concerned about the amount of pepper – the slow cooking will make the flavor a lot milder.
Place the hickory chunks in between the glowing coals and place the seasoned beef ribs, bones facing down, on the grate inside the BBQ and close the lid. Keep the BBQ at a constant temperature of 240 ºF (115 °C) for the next 6 to 8 hours (you can use a BBQ Guru for this). Don’t wrap the beef ribs in aluminum foil, otherwise they’ll become too tender. What you want is to retain a light but firm bite. You’ll need an internal temperature of 198 ºF (92 °C) to achieve this.
If you want, you can wrap the beef ribs in butcher paper, which is an oil-free kraft paper that allows heat and moisture to partly penetrate it. This speeds up the cooking process without affecting the texture of the meat too much. Texan pit masters like Aaron Franklin swear by it.
