Help with short ribs, please

[thecuriousone]

HI All-

I need some help with a short rib recipe that I have had to make changes in. I usually smoke these over a wood fire for 10 hours at 200 degrees. Well, the place Im cooking them does not have a smoker and I have to cook them in the oven. I have a couple of plans but would really appreciate some help.

plan A (the one I am currently executing) I sealed the short ribs in foil at 8 a.m. at 225 degrees. I will check at 3 p.m.and if they are tender and juicy, I will put them under the broiler for 20 minutes to crisp up the tops and then slather with sauce.

plan B- Do the above and check them at 3 p.m. If they are not tender and juicy, toss them in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes, then put them back in the oven to crisp the tops and slather with sauce.

It is vitally important to me that the connective tissue have broken down and these ribs have that "melting moist" texture. Any suggestions to ensure that would be appreciated. Thanks and have a good holiday.

[Chris Hennes]

Do you have a meat thermometer? If so, you probably want to target just over 200°F for the ribs: by the time they reach that, they should have been at a high enough temperature for long enough to more or less completely melt the connective tissue, and will give you that literally falling-apart texture you are looking for. Wrapped in foil I'd expect them to come up to temp a little faster than they do in your smoker, since you won't get any of the evaporative cooling you get in the dry air of the smoker. You should have no trouble getting them cooked in the oven, I don't think.

[catdaddy]

The high temps and pressure in the pressure cooker tend to dry out meat cooked in it. I would avoid that step if you can. Your plan A sounds perfect---a nice low temp to melt all those chewy things to yummy beefy goodness.

Good luck.

[thecuriousone]

Hi All-

Thanks so much for the response. I didnt mention that these are thick short ribs. cut 2 inches across the bone. Each is two inches thick and 6 inches long. (Hey, its christmas, I can splurge) Hopefully, it doesnt make a difference, its all about the temps.

Take care and have a great holiday.

[Doodad]

I think plan A already in progress will get you there.

[Chris Hennes]

Hopefully, it doesnt make a difference, its all about the temps.

I still think plan A is the way to go, but be careful here: it's really about time at temperature: collagen melts much faster at higher temps, but it still takes time to melt. The thicker the piece of meat, the longer it takes the middle to warm up, so the longer it needs to cook in order to melt all the connective tissue. My estimate of 200°F is based on the idea that by the time the center reaches 200°F in a 225°F oven, the collagen has had plenty of time to melt, even considering the size of ribs we are talking about here. Really, it's probably overly conservative, you may be fine at 190°F or even lower, I have not run the numbers. The only way to know for sure when they are done is to cut into one of the ribs and test it.

[thecuriousone]

Short- Rib update!

They seem to be coming along just fine. I opened up the foil and they have that limpid texture. It appears that the connective fibers are breaking down. There was very little resistance when I cut the meat, but the grain was still intact Because I checked at 1:30 I'm amticipating another 3 hours (plus 1 hour if necessary). The stove is set at 225. Thanks