Smoked Beef Short Ribs – Kansas City-Style

Directions

• First cut the racks into 2 bone chunks.
  Which I personally find more manageable when doing wet short ribs and wrapping.
  If you prefer, you can remove the membrane from the bone side (this is optional, if you’re worried about the bone popping out, leave it on) and trim a little of the excess fat, if necessary.

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• Slather with American mustard and apply a good amount of Plowboys BBQ – Bovine Bold Rub.

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• While the rub is setting, set the BBQ to indirect at around 120°C/250°F.
  I use drip pans in the BBQ when cooking short rib, just because of the amount of fat that drips out of them. If you want to raise the temperature and cook a
  side or a starter while your ribs are resting, that fat will start burning off a black smoke that doesn’t smell or taste very nice.
• Throw on some chunks of Cherry Wood and Pecan Wood, Close the dome and wait until the smoke turns from thick white to light blue.
  Add the ribs bone side down, and smoke for around 4 hours (I checked after 3 with these, but I wasn’t totally happy with the bark so gave it another hour).

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• Once you have achieved a good bark, dark, crunchy and ugly, remove each pair of ribs, meat side down onto double layers of foil.
  Crumpling up the first layer of foil to make a bowl, pour in about 1/2 cup of beer (I used some delicious Isolation IPA beer from a local brewery, but use what you have).
  Tightly wrap in the foil, being careful not to puncture with the bones. (I did puncture one of mine here, so I wrapped it again in a third sheet).

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• While you are wrapping, start raising the BBQ’s temperature to around 135°C/275°F.
  The rise in temperature will help render down the fat inside the meat, of which there is loads in the short rib, and it will break down the tough membranes between the layers of meat.
  Return the wrapped ribs back to the BBQ meat side down, close the dome and cook for another hour.
• After an hour, start checking for doneness.
  Remove the foiled ribs to a wooden board, remembering to close the dome after you.
  Open the foil, carefully turn over the rib and, using an instant read thermometer, push the probe through the meat from the meat side to the bones, it should feel almost like butter with very little to no resistance.
  The temperature range you’re aiming for is 93°C to 96°C/200°F to 205°F, but go by feel here, not by what the thermometer is saying. Beef ribs are done when they’re done, not when they reach a certain temperature!
  If you do feel some resistance, turn the rib back over, wrap up again and return to the BBQ and check again after 20-30 minutes.
  
  
• When your ribs are probing tender, remove from the BBQ and still wrapped up, give them a cambro rest for an hour, either in a cool-box or a warm oven.
  After the rest, transfer the ribs from the foil to a wooden board, bones down and brush a small amount of Smoke on Wheels Bootleg sauce.
  

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• Carve the ribs by slicing directly between the bones, serving one bone per person.
  And you’re done.
  These Kansas City-Style Smoked Beef Short Ribs are perfect served with French Fries and Slaw.