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Want to make those Abe Fisher short ribs at home?

When we think of beef short ribs, what generally comes to mind is the large boneless variety served braised in restaurants, or the crosscut ribs with three or four small pieces of bone in them that are found on supermarket shelves and in butcher display cases.

A rack of beef short ribs smoked over hickory and oak chunks for five or six hours has a vivid smoke ring. Slow-cooked and sprayed with a mix of Worcestershire sauce and beef broth, the ribs are likely flavorful enough to skip the table-served barbecue sauce.
A rack of beef short ribs smoked over hickory and oak chunks for five or six hours has a vivid smoke ring. Slow-cooked and sprayed with a mix of Worcestershire sauce and beef broth, the ribs are likely flavorful enough to skip the table-served barbecue sauce.Read moreBARRY ZUKERMAN / Staff

When we think of beef short ribs, what generally comes to mind is the large boneless variety served braised in restaurants, or the crosscut ribs with three or four small pieces of bone in them that are found on supermarket shelves and in butcher display cases.

But a mouthwatering photo of beef ribs on the cover of a barbecue cookbook recently brought back memories of the monstrous rack of Montreal-style smoked short ribs my party ordered at Abe Fisher, and the dinosaur bone I polished off at Fette Sau.

As the Fourth of July approached, with a long weekend for a cooking project, I began my short ribs research for that very cut: I discovered that the most desirable cut for smoking (and the cut served at Abe Fisher and Fette Sau) is from the plate section of the rib cage. These generally come in three-rib racks with each bone fairly flat. If you see three flat pieces of bone in the cut short ribs on display at your supermarket or butcher, those ribs probably come from the plate.

A full, uncut rack of short ribs from the plate is not the easiest thing to find. They are virtually never on display. Don't be shy about asking your butcher if she has them or can get them. I found them at the L. Halteman Family Country Foods butcher counter in the Reading Terminal Market, and the butchers were happy to sell me an uncut rack. Their racks cost roughly $25 and weigh 3½ to 4 pounds, which should serve three to five people.

Once you find them, these types of ribs are easy to smoke, but be sure to ask your butcher to remove as much of the membrane layer as possible from the side with the bones showing. Removing the membrane on your own is not the easiest thing to do, and failing to remove it makes for a less-pleasant eating experience and also makes it harder for smoke to penetrate the ribs from that side.

Rub your ribs the night before you cook them. Texas-style barbecued beef generally does not feature complex rubs. Kosher salt and cracked black pepper is all you need. But first apply a light olive oil to the entire exterior of the rib rack, to act as a binding agent. Then generously sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Make sure there is a good amount on all sides.

Also, begin soaking your wood chunks the night before you cook. My preference for beef is a combination of oak and hickory. Using all oak may not give quite enough smoke flavor, while all hickory has the potential to overwhelm the natural flavor of the meat. Wood chunks are preferable to chips. Chunks won't have to be replenished as often. I generally use five or six moderate-size chunks and a little more oak than hickory.

When you're ready to begin the cooking process, get your smoker going with a target temperature of 250-260 degrees. Once you hit that range, if you haven't already done so, begin adding wood chunks to your smoker, place the ribs on the cooking grate, and close the lid. Don't open it for the next three hours. Not only is this the most flavorful type of barbecue I've cooked, but also short ribs are among the easiest to cook because of how well marbled they generally are. There is no need to wrap them during cooking, as there is with pork ribs and brisket. Just put them on your smoker, and let them go until finished.

At some point during that three-hour period, mix several tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce with a can of beef broth in a spray bottle. After the ribs have been cooking for three hours, begin spraying them every 45 minutes with the beef-broth solution. When you open the smoker lid at the three-hour mark, the meat should have begun to recede from the end of the bones. Also spray the exposed portions of the bones. This will help prevent them from blackening, which would make your final presentation less appealing. While you've got the lid open, if your smoker has a water pan, make sure it has enough water in it.

If you barbecue on a regular basis, a digital thermometer that enables you to monitor the temperatures of your meat and cooking surface remotely is an invaluable tool. My model is a Maverick Et-732, available from Amazon ($59.99). If you don't have such a device, begin checking the meat temperature with an instant-read meat thermometer every time you open the lid to spray. You are looking for an internal temperature of 195-200 degrees. When you hit that, remove your rack of ribs from the smoker, and let it rest under heavy-duty foil for an hour.

A rack of short ribs takes about five to six hours to reach the desired temperature on my Weber Smokey Mountain 22-inch charcoal smoker ($399 at Amazon.com). The type of smoker you use along with other factors, including the weight of the rack and the weather, could affect cooking time. Don't be surprised if your meat hits around 180 degrees within the first three or so hours, then takes an equally long time to add that last 15-20 degrees. That's the nature of smoking meat.

Before carving - given how hard you've worked to create such a nice-looking finished product - I recommend presenting the rack of ribs whole to your guests.

For serving, if you have one bone per person, that leaves a very simple option. If you have fewer bones than people at the table or don't want to serve such large bones to people, you can detach the meat from each bone and cut it into two or three smaller pieces. Place the cut pieces on a serving plate, and serve with barbecue sauce on the side.

These ribs are so luscious and flavorful that the sauce may go unused.

bzukerman@phillynews.com

Barbecue Sauce

Yields about 2½ cups

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon chile powder

Cayenne pepper and hot sauce to taste

Tomato paste (optional)

1. In a sauce pan, combine all the ingredients, stir well, and heat over a low to medium-low flame.

2. When the sauce reaches a low boil, shut off the flame, and pour the sauce into a jar. Seal, and let sit until it cools off a bit. The sauce can be refrigerated if you won't be using it immediately.

Note: If you desire a thicker sauce, add a little tomato paste.

Per Two-Tablespoon Serving: 26 calories; trace protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams sugar; trace fat; no cholesterol; 216 milligrams sodium; no dietary fiber.

Smoked Beef Short Ribs

Makes 3-5 servings

One three-bone uncut rack of beef short ribs from the plate section of the rib cage, weighing 3 1/2 to 4 pounds (see note)

Light olive oil (not virgin)

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper

1 can beef broth

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Barbecue sauce (optional)

1. The night before you intend to smoke the ribs, place your wood chunks in water to soak until you need them.

2. Also the night before, rub the rack of ribs all over with a light coating of olive oil. Generously sprinkle the salt and pepper over the ribs, being sure to hit all sides. Press the salt and pepper into the ribs, place the rack into sealable plastic bag, and refrigerate.

3. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 1-11/2 hours before you intend to place them on your smoker to begin cooking. Set up your smoker, and get your fire going. Your target temperature is 250-260 degrees.

4. When your smoker reaches your target temperature, add your wood chunks, and place the rack of ribs onto your smoker to cook.

5. Do not open the lid to your smoker for three hours. Combine the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce in a spray bottle. After three hours, begin opening the lid every 45 minutes to spray the rib rack, including any exposed portions of the bones, with the beef-broth mixture.

6. When the temperature of the meat between the bones reaches 195-200 degrees, remove the rack of ribs from the smoker, and let it rest under heavy-duty foil for an hour.

7. Carve, and serve with barbecue sauce on the side.

Note: This type of short rib rack sometimes runs larger than 3½-4 pounds. If you purchase a larger rack of ribs, expect increased cooking time.

Per Serving (based on 5, without barbecue sauce): 687 calories; 92 grams protein; 2 grams carbohydrates; trace sugar; 34 grams fat; 289 milligrams cholesterol; 2,672 milligrams sodium; trace dietary fiber.