Barbecued Beef Short Ribs

I tried a new recipe yesterday and it was so successful that I wanted to pass it on, at least in simplified version. Beef short ribs are delicious but they’re something that I usually braise and wouldn’t think of barbecuing so I was interested in giving this recipe a try. Let me warn you: this is a leisurely, weekend-type recipe, not something for a busy weeknight.

The recipe is simple enough: rub the bone-in ribs with your favorite rub, place them in a baking dish large enough to hold the ribs in a single layer barely touching, rib side down, drizzle a few drops of red wine vinegar over each rib, seal it tightly with aluminum foil (I also covered mine), and bake in your oven at 300°F for about two hours until they reach a temperature of 160°F at the thickest point. That’s long enough that the collagen in the ribs that makes them tough is beginning to change into gelatin, rendering them luscious. The vinegar probably helps with that process, too.

Transfer the mostly-cooked ribs to your grill, rib-side down again, set to a low flame, no more than about 300° and cook them for another one and a half to two hours or until you can’t stand it any more, basting occasionally with your favorite glaze.

A quick rub can be made by combining roughly equal quantities of commercial chili power, garlic powder, salt, and brown sugar. I used a combination of garlic powder, salt, brown sugar, Hungarian paprika, cumin, and ground fennel.

I made a glaze with a quarter cup of Dijon mustard, a quarter cup of red wine vinegar, a tablespoon of brown sugar, and a teaspoon of the rub that I’d set aside for the purpose.

I started with about a pound of ribs for the two of us. As I’d suspected by the time the cooking process was complete that had shrunk to just a few morsels each—probably a quarter pound or less. For four I’d certainly start with five pounds of the meatiest ribs you can find.

One of the neat things about this recipe is that I’m pretty sure that it wouldn’t take me much more effort to make enough to feed a dozen people than it did to feed two—nearly all of the work is in just being patient enough to let the ribs cook slowly.