Plate Short Ribs: Oh So Meaty!

In Barbecue - By BBQGrail, on July 3rd, 2009 - Comments closed

NOTE: Since publishing this I have come to learn that what I cooked was not “Plate” short ribs. I asked the butcher for Plate Short Ribs. I was very specific. He assured me the Beef Chuck Short Ribs and Plate Short Ribs were one and the same cut of meat. They are not. This illustrates why having a butcher who knows his or her stuff is so important.

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were watching “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Channel. The episode was about the various personalities favorite BBQ restaurants. Iron Chef Michael Symon showed us the most amazing beef ribs at Daisy May’s BBQ USA in New York City. The ribs were the biggest , meatiest beef ribs I have ever seen. The whole episode was fantastic, but I knew after seeing those beef ribs that I needed to crank up the pit and give them a try.

I have purchased a lot of beef ribs over the years and none have ever had this much meat on them. They looked like a chuck roast on a rib. The problem with the episode was they didn’t tell us what the cut of meat was. After a couple of Twitter queries I finally got the answer direct from Adam Perry Lang on Facebook — Plate Short Ribs.

There isn’t anything short about these ribs. They are giant. I found them in the local Raley’s grocery store as Beef Chuck Short Ribs.

Label

Raw

I was surprised to find only three ribs in a rack that weighed over five pounds. Here’s two of the ribs. After stripping off a layer of fat I removed the membrane and seasoned them with Big Bob Gibson’s “Bar-B-Q Seasoning and Dry Rub” and put them in the Traeger with cherry wood.

It’s not often you have ribs with enough meat to insert a thermometer probe. Here’s what they looked like after an hour or so:

It took the ribs over eight hours to reach 190 degrees. I wasn’t expecting it to take that long and since it was late and we were starving I didn’t foil and cooler like I would have a chuck roast. With about 30 minutes to go I sauced them with “Jonathan’s Q Sauce.” More on the sauce later…

Some sliced homegrown tomatoes along with whipped garlic potatoes made a complete meal.

These were the most fantastic, amazing ribs I’ve ever smoked. This particular slab was pretty fatty. The next time I’m going to have to try a butcher so I can see the ribs better. If you are looking for a superior rib with lots of meat, give short ribs a try.

PlowboysBBQ.com

July 3, 2009 at 7:37 pm

Those look great, Larry.

Jonathan Soares (Jonny Q BBQ)

July 21, 2009 at 4:54 pm

Larry…..Looks amazing, meat is juicy and perfectly cooked and the sauce gives an awesome glaze!

BBQ Bob

July 25, 2009 at 3:52 am

ummm.. the ribs that Adam told you about were Short Ribs from the plate… you seem to have bought short ribs from the chuck, according to the pictured package.. there is a difference in taste… Chuck will taste like a very good pot roast.. Plate ribs will taste more lush and velevety.. all inh all they are both delightful, but do yourself a favor and try the Shote Plate ribs, you’ll not regret it

Larry

July 25, 2009 at 2:47 pm

Okay Bob, I guess this is a lesson learned. I was very specific with the butcher on what I wanted and was told they were one and same.

So it appears I’ve got to find me someone that can actually tell the difference between the two. Thanks for the heads up and I will be seeking out the real Plate Short Ribs.