To do so reveals our Texas (and Montana) roots, but we’d argue that one of the finest things you could cook up for Father’s Day (or any celebratory shindig) would be a batch of what we named for the kids’ sake years ago Smoked Dinosaur Bones (aka Beef Ribs).
These ribs are the big boys, not the dainty (albeit damned tasty) short ribs you should be braising next winter, but big, two-hands required, sit and gnaw on for 10 minutes ribs. These aren’t everyday fare by any means but make for a great summer party or celebration meal centerpiece.
At least through central and south Texas you can walk into any respectable HEB grocery store and find displayed prominently in the meat department prepackage racks of beef ribs, though often they’ll be trimmed pretty aggressively.
Better yet, have your butcher set you up with a rack or two, with at least an inch of the gloriously marbled prime meat still attached.
We even used to have a restaurant connection in Kalispell that would sell use a pile of trimmed ribs when they did their prime rib night every week; do some checking around and you might strike gold like we did back in the day.
Once again showing our Texas roots, we’ve come to eschew fancy complicated rubs for beef ribs, preferring a hot sauce or mustard slather (after trimming) and a robust dusting with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Thicker ribs will take up to 6 or 6.5 hours in the smoker but will be worth every second; if you’re relegated to genuine beef ribs that have been trimmed aggressively, they’ll been done closer to 3.5 or 4 hours in. Try these thicker with a custom trim from the butcher at least once.
Beef rib racks (see discussion above)
Slather: Hot sauce, mustard, olive oil or AC vinegar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Mop or spray: water, beer, ACV or your magic brew
Fire the smoker and run to 275-285 (a bit warmer than most low and slow meats require).
Pull the membranes from the bone side of the ribs.
Slather, salt and pepper. Slather with the ingredient of your choice (we’re in the hot sauce or mustard camp) coating all surfaces and working it into the nooks and crannies. Now sprinkle all surfaces with the salt, including the sides, then do the same with the pepper.
Smoke ‘em. Now into the smoker for 4-7 hours pending the thickness of your ribs, your smoker and the volume you’re cooking. Presuming you’re cooking the ideal rib we’ve described, you’re looking at a 5.5 to 6.5 hour cook. Keep that smoker humming in the 275-285 range.
Don’t forget to spritz and / or mop. Check them somewhere around the end of hour 4, the meat will have begun to retract from the bones and loosen up. Spray or mop hourly until done.
Pull and rest. When the ribs are done – they’re loosened, almost to the fall apart stage, through and through – pull and rest for at least 30 minutes to allow the internal juices to redistribute.
Serve cut into single dinosaur bone servings and go to it.
Enjoy.
