Tendernism! Dub Shack BBQ Presents Beef Short Ribs

Tendernism!

What is it, and what makes everyone's YouTube OG throw something across the room such as sunglasses and pens in sheer excitement of a bone sliding out of beef? Well, the friendly pitmaster is laying down some knowledge of how to achieve the same result without having to spend hundreds of dollars to practice smoking beef short ribs that will certainly cement your own legacies as true pitmasters in your own rights. Shout out to Kara's Packing Company in Owensville (my real plug) for slinging them at a good price, and to Double B Farm & Ranch in Bigelow for raising tasty cows that are giving my pit the best smoke in the neighborhood by a long shot.

You know what I say about shopping and supporting local small businesses: Do it. I'm a firm believer in the best products are the ones that can be sourced closest to home; whether that means I can finally make room for a quarter beef and/or a pig is up for debate. 

Now...we cook.

INGREDIENTS 

Beef short ribs

Bear and Burtons W Sauce

Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub

STEP ONE. Open the packaging and pat the beef short ribs dry with a paper towel before trimming any of the scraggly bits away to what should be no more than 1/4" fat from the meat. Don't worry about the all of that fat; it will mostly render during the cook and waste itself during the process. Apply first the W sauce to all sides and repeat with TX Brisket rub the same way on all sides - especially the Westside. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to let the ribs come up to room temperature so they are not shocked when the smoker is ready.

STEP TWO. As Senior (my Oklahoma Joe smoker) gets the assignment, start out with a cooler smoke not to instantly shock the meat like we normally do around 300+ degrees for most proteins. Add the mesquite splits to the fire and babysit the thing for three hours at 275-300 degrees. At that point, feel free to do your first temperature and tenderness checks: If they feel like butter, then the beef short ribs are pretty close to done.

What is done, and what is tendernism, friendly pitmaster?

Done is 202-205 degrees and tender, and tendernism takes those same beef short ribs a step further to where the bone easily slides out of the beef. For an exact temperature, I took mine close to 215 degrees which in many quarters is overcooked but hey, I had to follow a trend.

STEP THREE. Once finished, let the ribs rest for at least fifteen minutes to an hour before serving. For the eyeglass toss, eat before the minimum rest; everyone else knows that it is merely brisket on a stick.

My thoughts: Was it good? Yes.

Was it tender? Yes.

Was it tendernism? Yes, but under specific circumstances. 

Would I do it again? It's highly unlikely that I will because it just takes too long, and the fact I ended up braising them once I got my desired color until it was time to eat. 

But don't let that stop you from trying.

Thank you for reading this post. Go outside and cook something superb this weekend instead of laying around the house begging for fast food, or worse, snacks. Be blessed, be safe, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ! 

The Game Goes On: Dub Shack BBQ Presents Garlic Lamb Chops

Barbecue does not always need a long time to be good - only some early preparation to become great. With Little Miss Sunshine's upcoming sports season(s) in full swing, the friendly pitmaster doesn't always have time to smoke five-course meals when dinner only calls for one protein, a vegetable side, and if necessary, carbohydrates such as rice or potatoes to tie it all together. But before she jumps into the pool...

INGREDIENTS 

Lamb chops (shoulder or loin, doesn't matter)

Kosmo's Garlic Garlic rub

Optional: Lawry's herb and garlic marinade 

STEP ONE. Remove the lamb from the packaging, pat it dry, and set aside momentarily. If you have a marinade bottle, pick up a ziploc bag to pour the contents into. Add first the chops and then the marinade before refrigerating for the work day. The intention is to ensure full flavor from first to final bite without the gamey taste that sometimes comes with how lamb is fed ans otherwise treated throughout its lifetime. As a fanatic of supporting LOCAL small businesses, the nearest animals to us are typically best. 

In a big box situation, lamb from New Zealand or Australia is best.

STEP TWO. Start your two-zone fire. Today, I'm using my PK grill to feed the fairer folks in my house. On one side, bank off the charcoals for a hot zone whike leaving the other side as a cool zone for indirect cooking. We're searing the chops off in the end, so don't worry about having cold meat. Remove the chops from the marinade bag and give them a liberal shaking of Garlic Garlic to all sides and allow them to reach room temperature before putting them in the smoke.

I didn't mention using wood, but a couple of fruit chunks or an apple wood split such as the one I am using will suffice. 

STEP THREE. Place the lamb chops on the indirect side to cook to around 115 degrees. It won't take too long for them to reach that temperature, so don't do anything that requires much more than a quick trip to the bathroom or a run to the kitchen to find a thermometer. At 115 degrees, transfer the lamb over to direct heat and sear for one minute per side (45 seconds for those crosshatch marks that Chili's taught us to revere in the 90s) and cook to 135-140 degrees. With a five degree carryover, lamb chops are done at 145 degrees. Serve and enjoy!

My thoughts: If yum needed an adjective, then ask some of my colleagues that I eat lunch with. The lamb chops were still tender and fantastic a day later, and you better believe I'll do it again! But before I have to plan another cook and mow grass: Thank you for reading this post. Like, subscribe, or follow me on the few social media platforms that I do use (Facebook, Blogger, Threads, and Instagram) for the some of the fun that Cooking w/My Friends had hosted. If the rain holds off long enough, I'll even include a picture of the lucky soul who ends up cooking in my driveway with me thanks to a muddy backyard. Be blessed, be safe, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ! 

From Friendship Road With Love: Dub Shack BBQ Presents Country Style Ribs

Well, country is as country does.

Y'all know I'm a son of Friendship, and today's cook is something super easy and tasty in country-style ribs. They are easy enough to cook like pork shoulders - and also as a cheaper version of regular pork ribs to practice with for our families and friends. Would I use them as a substitute for competition ribs? Nope, because they are boneless and protein integrity is sometimes negligible at best. Just because they don't always look good doesn't mean country-style ribs are hot garbage.

Here's how we made them prettier.

But first, what are country ribs? AI has a definition for them below:

Country-style ribs are actually thick, meaty strips cut from the pork shoulder (or sometimes loin), rather than the rib cage, offering a, tender, and budget-friendly option. Best cooked low-and-slow (under 300 for 2–3 hours), they can be roasted in the oven, smoked, or slow-cooked until falling apart.

See, this is how we make barbecue cheap again.

INGREDIENTS 

Country style ribs

Wright's BBQ rub (use your favorite rub, this is in the spice cabinet)

Optional: Mustard as a binder

STEP ONE. Remove the ribs from the packaging and pat them dry. Slather them in mustard and get ready to apply rub on all sides. Set aside and light up the grill.

STEP TWO. Today, my beloved PK gets the assignment: Bank the charcoals to one side in my typical two-zone fire, and once it is ready, position those ribs on the other side of the grill to cook indirect for an undetermined period of time. Check on them (and flip) after one hour, and once again when you've got the desired color. Around 190 degrees, the country style ribs can go into a small aluminum pan with a secret liquid to tenderize them until they are nearly fall apart.

STEP THREE. Bring them in, rest those country ribs, and enjoy!

Although they were super tender, I did not get the original taste because I was smoking a few pork butts and a picnic roast for next week's meal prep. That possibly means that I'll eat them later today or tomorrow for Sunday dinner with corn and mashed potatoes. 

Thanks for riding through the country with me, feeling the gentle wind blow from east to west, and reading this post. Could I have done it in the crackpot? Yet, but where's the fun in that? Y'all be blessed, be safe, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!