-CHEF ' S CHOICE-
Jacob ' s Ladder beef rib
Big , meaty hunks of succulent , smoky beef on the end of comedy dinosaur-size bones that wouldn ’ t look out of place in The
Flintstones … what ’ s not to like ? These are meaty lollipops at their very best .
This recipe relies on wrapping the ribs in a foil parcel after smoking to keep the moisture locked in and to render down the fat and connective tissue . If you prefer , you can pit-braise the ribs by placing them in a foil tray with beer , cider , wine or stock . Make sure the ribs are only half-submerged in your liquid of choice .
FEEDS 4
INGREDIENTS
about 2 Jacob ’ s Ladder ( short rib ) beef racks , aim for 2 – 3 ribs per person
Beef Rub ( see p . 203 ) 100ml beer , cider , wine or stock sea salt , preferably Maldon
Damn Fast Awesome Pickles ( see p . 178 ), to serve
Put the ribs on the BBQ , boneside down , and smoke for 3 – 4 hours until the meat has pulled back slightly to expose the end of the bone . The internal temperature should hit around 65 ° C .
Remove the rib racks from the BBQ and place each one on a large sheet of foil . Fold the edges of the foil over and crimp up the sides to make a pocket . Add the beer or other cooking liquid . Crimp the open end of each parcel to seal . ( Double the foil if you ’ re worried the bones will poke through .)
Return the ribs to the BBQ for another 2 hours . By then the meat will have drawn further up the bone and be incredibly tender and succulent . Give the meat a gentle tug , it should come away easily from the bone . The internal temperature should hit around 88 ° C at this point .
Remove the ribs from the BBQ and leave them to rest for 30 minutes in their foil parcels . Take the ribs out of the parcels and sprinkle with salt before slicing into individual bones to serve with pickles on the side .
METHOD
First , remove the tough outer membrane from the ribs ( see box , p . 52 ). Trim off any excess fat or scraggy bits of meat to give two clean , neat racks .
Liberally season the ribs all over with the rub . Leave them to stand for about 1 hour to come up to room temperature .
Set up your BBQ for smoking ( see p . 19 ), around 110 ° C . Add your choice of smoking wood to the coals – we like to use hickory and oak with beef . And avoid any woods that add a sweet flavour . if you like , You can flash the ribs on a hot grill over a direct heat , a few minutes on each side , to revive the crust .
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