Beef Short Ribs on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Today i'm going to be cooking Beef Short Ribs, smoked with hickory chips and slow cooked to perfection. This is essentially a quick meal to prepare but takes time to cook if you want to get the best from this cut of meat. Ask your butcher to cut the short ribs 2 to 2½ inches thick, because they shrink during cooking so be prepared for everyone to ask for second helpings.

Commonly known in UK as 'Jacob's Ladder' are a popular cut of beef. Beef short ribs are larger and usually more tender and meatier than their pork counterpart, spare ribs. Short ribs are cut from the rib and plate primals and a small corner of the square-cut chuck. A full rack of short ribs is typically about 10 inches square and ranges from 3-5 inches thick, contains three or four ribs as well as the intercostal muscles and tendon and a layer of boneless meat and fat which is thick on one end of the rack and thiner on the other.

SERVES 2-4: PREP: 15MINS: MARINATE 1HR: COOK TIME:4-5HR

Rub  Ingredients:

1 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Sea salt

Ribs

1 kg/2.2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs cut 2 to 2½ inches thick
1 x can Savanna Cider or any beer of your choosing
2 x cups good beef stock
2 x Chopped onions

Method: We are going to cook this in two different stages

Preheat the Braai/BigGreenEgg to 200ºF/94ºC.
Place the hickory chips in a small bowl, cover with water and let soak for at least 1 hour.

1st Stage

To make the rub, mix the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme, coriander and salt in a small bowl. Generously rub the short ribs with the spices then set aside to rest for 20 mins, in the meantime drain and scatter the wood chips over the preheated charcoal. Place the ribs on the grid and close the lid of the braai, leave to slow smoke/cook for 1½ to 2 hours turning occasionally.

2nd Stage

Raise the internal temperature of the EGG to 375ºF/190ºC.

Once the short ribs have finished smoking, transfer the ribs to large baking dish on top of the chopped onions and then pour the cider and beef stock over the ribs. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place back in the preheated Braai/BigGreenEgg for 2½ hours making sure that you check to see they are tender by sticking a fork into them.

Once ready take off the heat and take the ribs our and leave to rest for 10 mins. Return the baking dish to the braai and add the butter a little at a time stirring constantly, until the butter is emulsified. Do not boil, it should turn into a smooth rich gravy. Transfer the ribs to plates, top with the sauce and serve immediately with a nice helping of mashed potatoes.

As usual, please leave me any comments you have below, I'm always interested to hear what you think. Until next week have a great time.