[kokopuffs]

I live at high altitude near Denver, approximately 5500 feet elevation.

I boiled the short ribs for 15 minutes followed by grilling for 10 minutes on both sides. Still, the ribs were extremely firm. To make them "falling off of the bone", should they be boiled longer like for about an hour?

[Pete]

Shortribs have lots of connective tissues and can be quite tough. As such they really do require a longer cooking time. First off, don't boil them, they need to be simmered, if you are going that route. Boiling will make meat tough all over again, and cause it to dry out. A slow simmer, like when making a stew is the way to go. For my ribs, short, babyback, St. Louis, etc. (if I am not doing traditional BBQ) I usually bake/simmer them until almost completely tender then finish them on the grill. To do this, I rub down the ribs with the spice mixture I am going to use, then I wrap them in a double layer of foil along with a few shots of beer, or other liquid. I then bake these until tender, in a 350 oven. I would think that about 1 hour or maybe a little longer would be good for the shortribs. Then unwrap them, let them cool slightly and finish them on the grill.

[Ruth]

using a dry rub for overnite , then sear and use some veg,deglaze and braise them for at least 2-4 hours.good luck

[kokopuffs]

As it suspected, short ribs are really meant for braising and stewing as opposed to "quick" grilling.

thanks,
T

[KateW]

At JWU we made short ribs in the oven and they had a falling off the bone texture that was really good. First we marinated them in a soy sauce based marinade. You're supposed to marinate them overnight but this wasn't really done due to time constraints, but it would probably be best that way. Anyway then it says you can either grill it or put it in the broiler for 15 minutes or until well browned. We did the broiler method. Then we put the meat in pans and finished it in the oven. I think this took a couple hours.

[Pete]

Yep, koko, they should get some time in steady, moist heat-aka braising, but this shouldn't stop you from trying to get that smoky BBQ flavor you are looking for.

[Suzanne]

Although: there are Korean dishes that use short ribs for barbecuing. Most likely they are marinated for quite a while first, probably in vinegar, soy, sugar, and chili paste; at least the ones I've had tasted like it. They were still somewhat chewy, but that didn't diminish the pleasure of the flavor. You can also take out the bones, but leave everything else.

Look for recipes for kalbi or galbi or something that sounds similar.

Mmmm, Korean food!!!

[kokopuffs]

From my experience, braising them overnight really softened the meat to the point where it fell off of the bone. ...cannot rush goodness. My preference is to serve it falling off of the bone instead of a firm texture - the latter giving my jaw muscles an aerobic workout if you know what I mean. A whole world of difference.

Perhaps I'll braise them 'till the firmness just begins to soften followed by grilling on the bbq.

thanks again, all,
-T

[Pete]

Suzanne, you are correct in that Korean BBQ'd Shortribs do not get braised first. They do marinate them for awhile and they are usually butterflied open in such a way that the meat is very thin and cooks quickly. Since it is thin you don't have such a problem with toughness, though as you do say, it still is kind of chewy.

[kuan]

Kalbi is the bomb! Here's how you do it, with a little cheating of course. I don't know much about Korean food but this I know how to do.

If you can, purchase the short ribs on the bone but cut to 1/4" thick. This is uniquely a Korean cut (I think). If you cannot get it, then you'll have to remove the meat from the bone and slice it 1/4" thick.

Purchase some bulgogi marinade for beef. I use C.K. BBQ brand. The secret ingredient here is pear juice. Other brands may work as well, but make sure when you purchase the marinade that it contains at least 10% pear juice.

Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a good sturdy counter, then lay the 1/4" thick cuts flat on their sides on top of the plastic. Then put another piece of plastic wrap over the meat and give it a whack with the side of a heavy cleaver. You can use a meat mallet. Cover the shortribs with marinade for about an hour. Remove from marinade and quick grill over really hot charcoal!

If you think 1lb. is going to be enough you better do 1.5lbs. It's that good!

Kuan

[drx]

i usually find that when you remove the white inner layer ( i forgot what its called) on the inside of the ribs, it eliminates alot of the toughness. just put the knife on the last bone, cut down the middle of the bone. Then with a kitchen towel, grab the white layer and pull, it;ll peel right off, and proceed with instructions said above. Works like a charm.

[chefboy2160]

That white inner layer would be called the silver skin .

[mike]

the pear juice acts like pineapple juice inasmuch as it starts to break down the tissue but i think it impairs the flavour.
braising really slowly is the way, if you braise slow & long enough even the ends of the bones soften & you can eat them too.

Finishing on grill or bbq gets that extra flavour

[kokopuffs]

This site may give some good suggestions:

http://virtualweberbullet.com/ribselect2.html#spareprep

[chefnrnnr]

try smoking them after seasoning w/your favorite dry rub