This past Sunday, I had a tasting scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. in anticipation of our September wedding. But that wasn’t going to prevent me from firing up my Weber Smokey Mountain on a weekend day with chilly but pleasant weather.
The drive was 45 minutes each way, so I knew I’d be away for at least four hours. My plan was to cook something that I could leave cooking unattended for about five hours. The meat of choice was beef short ribs.
Oh, sorry. I should let you know what we picked for our wedding reception entrees so that you’re not thirsting for closure as you read the rest of this post: Mahi Mahi and brisket. Both good, but as my fiancée had to remind me, “Don’t compare this to YOUR brisket.” Good thing I didn’t.
Now, onto them ribs!
The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men
I discovered something about beef short ribs the first time I smoked them: their size deceives you into thinking you need to cook a lot of them if you’re cooking for yourself and others. In fact, they’re REALLY filling. Someone (not me) could totally eat one and be satisfied. So I know this, and yet I can’t seem to ever resist making sure I have at least three ribs per person. So once again, I cooked more than I needed.
But I’ll never be disappointed having leftover short ribs in my refrigerator the next day.
Being a stickler for timing things perfectly, I knew I had to put these ribs on the smoker RIGHT before we left for the tasting. So I kept the recipe simple… not that you really need to do a lot to short ribs. I applied a coating of Worcestershire sauce followed by a simple salt-pepper-garlic powder rub. I let them get up to room temperature as I fired up the smoker.
Here was the plan: 225 degrees for five hours. By the time I returned, the ribs should be done. I was able to maintain or adjust the temperature with my Flame Boss, and I figured the low-and-slow technique would provide the best strategy.
Everything seemed to be going well, but it was chilly that day and the winds really kicked up in the afternoon. My suspicion is that the outer edge of the smoker was cooled by the wind and gave uneven temperature inside the dome. I also realized when I arrived home that I needed more fuel as the Weber temperature just wasn’t climbing.
Long story short, after four hours, the internal temperature of the ribs wasn’t where I wanted it, so I remotely picked up the smoker temp to 235 degrees. That seemed to help some of the ribs. Again, with what I suspect was the cooling effect of the wind on the smoker, some of the ribs were behind in catching up to those that were ready.
Finally, it was either get them off the smoker and finish them in the oven, or we’d be eating at 9 p.m. So that’s what I did.
A successful cook, nonetheless. The ribs had a great robust, smoky flavor and the SPG rub provided a good crust. And look at that smoke ring!
Good tenderness, great flavor… I was happy.
The Wine: 2018 Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the lessons I learned many years ago in my wine education: Don’t sleep on South American wines. You will find great wines at an incredible value. The quality for the price, in general, is phenomenal. So while I was in my local liquor store the day before, I picked up this Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.
The history of the vineyard is quite extensive and fascinating. Rather than try to do it justice here, I’ll simply link to the History page on their website.
This excerpt from The Vineyard web page gives you a sense of the winery’s modern history and approach to winemaking:
The property has been managed since 1962 by a single team that, due to the proximity of the two properties, oversees both Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Duhart-Milon. Eric Kohler, Technical Director of Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Duhart-Milon, is assisted by oenologist and winemaker Christophe Congé, and vineyard manager Louis Caillard.
Both châteaux use exactly the same traditional techniques, based on strict control of yields, manual harvests, and numerous tasks that are carried out by hand all through the year. Little or no chemical fertilizers are used, and careful use of organic fertilizers allows the vines to reach an advanced age, they are generally pulled out (with a heavy heart) when they reach 80 years old.
An establishment that’s definitely serious about the tradition of quality winemaking in a New World region.
The aromas were deep red fruits, black currant, pencil shavings, and a slight hint of tobacco. On the tongue, it was just as satisfying with similar flavors as the aromas with the addition of slight hints of licorice and green pepper.
The short ribs were bold in their flavors and this wine definitely complimented it perfectly. I purposefully did not aerate, even though this was a young wine. I wanted that little bit of extra earthiness to make sure it would hold up to the strong beef taste.
I’ll definitely do short ribs again in the spring/summer – this time when I know I don’t have an afternoon event planned and the weather is warm enough that I don’t have to worry about uneven smoker temperatures.
I enjoyed. My fiancée enjoyed. Thus, a success despite a few hiccups.
Cheers!