Sunday Supper: Smoked Short Ribs (Beef)

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With late February and early March oscillating between winter and spring, we’ve had many beautiful weekend afternoons, filled with sunshine and moderate temperatures. This has made for perfect weather for longer cooks on our ceramic smoker. Having something cooking low and slow on the grill, and the boys (and neighborhood friends) bouncing on the trampoline, makes for a delightful Sunday.

We’ve done spare ribs and baby back ribs many times in the past, but had never taken a stab at smoking short ribs. For this meal, we adapted this approach for cooking short ribs on a ceramic cooker.

Equipment & Materials

  • Ceramic cooker with plate setter
  • Large baking dish
  • Small heavy saucepan
  • 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, cut to 2-2.5 inches thick
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 16 ounces lager beer
  • 2 cups balsamic vinegar (we used modena, should have used white)
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, cubed

Procedure

  • A few hours before you are going to put the ribs on the grill, stick the hickory chips in a container with water.
  • Start by making the rub, mixing all of the dry spices above in a large container with a lid (I used tupperware). Add the ribs to the tupperware and give it a few shakes to distribute the rub and coat the ribs.
  •  Light the grill and set for direct cooking. When you have a relatively stable temperature around 300 degrees, drain the hickory chips and spread them in a spiral around the hot coals. This will take your temperature down to around 225, which is where you want it to be for smoking the ribs.
  • Put the ribs directly on the grill and smoke at 225 for 2 hours
  • While the ribs are smoking, fill a large baking dish with the beer and chicken stock.
  • After the ribs have smoked at 225 for 2 hours, transfer them to the baking dish containing the beer and chicken stock.
  • Raise the temperature of the grill to 375 and change it to indirect cooking (put in the ceramic plate setter with the grill on top).
  • Put the ceramic dish with the ribs back on the grill and cook for an additional 2.5 hours.
  • While the ribs are cooking, begin the sauce by reducing the balsamic vinegar by half on the stovetop (for approximately 15 minutes).
  • When the ribs are finished, finish the sauce by whisking in the butter slowly over low heat (no boil).
  • Plate the ribs immediately after taking them off the grill, spooning the sauce on top.

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Results

The ribs were extremely tender and rich. So, we added a light apple and walnut salad to try to balance out how savory the ribs were. The meat and smokey flavor tasted wonderful paired with a deep red wine.

With most of the ribs, the meat immediately fell off the bone when transferring the them to a plate. Four pounds of ribs fed our family of 5 (2 adults, three kids) well, with enough ribs for just one plate of leftovers. So, if cooking these for a dinner with guests, it would be necessary to buy more ribs.

Because almost all of the food preparation was done on the smoker, there were very few dishes (hooray!). If we have a relaxing Sunday to cook a meal, this is a good one to cook — as long as there is plenty of time to stay home and keep an eye on the smoker.

Thoughts for the Future

  • Definitely change the sauce. Use the white balsamic next time, rather than the balsamic of modena.
  • Buy and cook more of these. We didn’t have much for leftovers, which was a disappointment!

Hansel From Basel Sale!

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I’m i the middle of a busy weekend with the boys, but I wanted to be sure to alert all of you Hansel From Basel fans that they are having a huge warehouse sale and most of their lovely socks, tights, leggings, and even a few other things are on discount. If you’re interested, head over there to check it out before they’re all sold out!hfb_100138_tulip_knee_hi_blue_2048x2048

I know I have sung their praises before, but it’s true that a cool pair of socks or tights add so much fun to an outfit — it’s like the icing on the cake. It’s all in the details!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Art I Love: Brooke Shaden

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Andrew recently turned my attention to photographer Brooke Shaden‘s work and I immediately fell in love. There’s an otherworldly quality to her art, which is ethereal and full of joy and movement.

Brooke works to capture fantastic realities within her photographic frame. By using painterly techniques as well as the square format, traditional photographic properties are replaced by otherworldly elements.

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Brooke is on a mission to promote passion, which is front and foremost when you visit her blog. At the ripe young age of 29, she is certainly doing that. Thank you, Brooke, for all the beauty, positivity, and passion you’ve put out into the world!

Read more here.