I was asked to make a short rib ragu. It has been years since I have cooked short ribs.

I am making my list for HEB. One store has Chuck Short Ribs and the other close to me has Top Blade Short Ribs.

Which one should I get? Does it matter if it's going to simmer for hours?

I make a short rib ragu often and always use the cross cut short ribs that are pre cut and found in groups of 3-4 in the meat case.

Unsolicited tip: add some oxtail if your grocery store has it. Simmer it just like you do the short ribs.

Chuck

Funny, I didn't realize the crosscut ribs are short ribs. I have grilled a ton of those. I am used to them being called Costillas or Costillas de res.

I am thinking the crosscuts might be to thin for what I am doing this time around.

The chuck looks like it has more meat than the top blade short ribs.

Koko Chingo said:

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Funny, I didn't realize the crosscut ribs are short ribs. I have grilled a ton of those. I am used to them being called Costillas or Costillas de res.

I am thinking the crosscuts might be to thin for what I am doing this time around.

The chuck looks like it has more meat than the top blade short ribs.

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The cross-cut ribs are the same ribs advertised as "dino ribs" that got really popular to put on the smoker about a decade ago.

Koko Chingo said:

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Funny, I didn't realize the crosscut ribs are short ribs. I have grilled a ton of those. I am used to them being called Costillas or Costillas de res.

I am thinking the crosscuts might be to thin for what I am doing this time around.

The chuck looks like it has more meat than the top blade short ribs.

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For a ragu, they work pretty well. They don't take as long to cook, and since they're sliced thin, you get meat with short muscle fibers so the meat in the sauce is less stringy. The one thing I would do is to cook all the other ingredients first so they can get a head start concentrating and reducing, and then add the meat later so you don't overcook it (yes, you can overcook a braise).

FancyKetchup14 said:

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Koko Chingo said:

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Funny, I didn't realize the crosscut ribs are short ribs. I have grilled a ton of those. I am used to them being called Costillas or Costillas de res.

I am thinking the crosscuts might be to thin for what I am doing this time around.

The chuck looks like it has more meat than the top blade short ribs.

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The cross-cut ribs are the same ribs advertised as "dino ribs" that got really popular to put on the smoker about a decade ago.

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Of course you can have the butcher do whatever but typically the cross cut/flanken/tablitas are made from the chuck or short ribs.

The Dino ribs are beef plate ribs and arguably the best of the 3 beef ribs (back, chuck/short, plate).

I stand corrected.

One of the two best things you can smoke IMHO

I appreciate the suggestions. I ended up doing a mixture. I did about 4.5 lbs of chuck short ribs and about 2 lbs (1 row) of beef finger ribs. Everything cooked down nicely and made a great ragu after about 4 hours.

Did that on Sunday and finished off the last of it at lunch today. I need to make that more often. Its easy, just takes a little while.

Can y'all share the recipes?

Agreed, this thread is useless without recipes

Thank you!

I did the 'Polenta Party' from Frankie's World.

I made a short rib ragu and polenta. I poured the polenta out on the table (placed pink butcher paper - 2 wide - underneath) I then put some of the ragu on top with ricotta, parmesan, and fresh basil leaves.

I did reserve some of the ragu in the pot. It was a lot of fun. Kids and adults all loved it.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1382896841809399

Recipe adapted using my quantities (8 people):

INGREDIENTS:
Short rib braise:
I used 3 packs of chuck short ribs (aprox 1.5lbs per pack)
I also used a single row of beef finger ribs (about the size of a St Louis Pork rib rack) 2lbs-ish
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, sliced
White wine
2 (28 ounces) cans crushed tomatoes
1 heaping teaspoon nutmeg (I ground fresh)
Balsamic vinegar
Polenta:
3 pounds polenta cornmeal
12 pounds water (4 to 1 weight ratio) (about 1.445 gallons of water) (1 lb of water = about 8.3lbs)

INSTRUCTIONS
Dry short ribs with paper towels, then liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a Dutch oven over high heat.

Add olive oil, then sear the short ribs in batches, being careful not to steam them. Set aside.

Add the onions to the pan, and cook until translucent. Add garlic and stir. Deglaze with some wine (or water) and lower heat to medium. Cook until onions are tender.

Add the crushed tomatoes, nutmeg and a little balsamic vinegar.

Return the short ribs to the pan. Add water, if needed, to adjust level of liquid (should cover 70-80 percent of the meat). Set heat to low, cover and cook for 4 hours or until tender.

Once tender, remove the top and cook until sauce reduces by half, about 30-40 minutes.

For the polenta: Boil 1.445 gallons of water, and add 1/8 cup of salt. Slowly add the polenta while stirring, until all the polenta is in. Lower heat, stir occasionally for 40 minutes or until smooth and creamy. (mine went way faster).

Add a ladle of polenta to a bowl. Top with a dab of butter, followed by the short ribs and sauce. Or for a 'polenta party', spread polenta out on a tabletop then cover with short ribs, some ricotta, Parmesan and basil, and invite some people over to dig in!

Kent Rollins does a great bit on short ribs with a butcher at the beginning of this video:

80sGeorge said:

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One of the two best things you can smoke IMHO

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Have been meaning to try a smoke with some Dino Ribs. Any tips would be appreciated.

DTP02 said:

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80sGeorge said:

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One of the two best things you can smoke IMHO

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Have been meaning to try a smoke with some Dino Ribs. Any tips would be appreciated.

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Cook them just like a brisket, except you can go a little hotter (275-300 is fine). Salt and pepper, smoke them, and wrap in butcher paper if you want to. They're an easy cook and way more consistent than a brisket.