Beef Shorties: Thai Inspired Beef Shortribs

Submitted by Timothy F.

"It was a weekend. It was raining like hell. It was a good day to do nothing, but I had planned for something special... Father's Day. Although the man was 1438 miles away, I had to make a dinner to celebrate him. It was the least I could do, and he'd understand. I thought about this since Friday, when I happened upon some beef short ribs at a local butcher shop. The price was right, and my brain began to recall a recipe taught to me by a Laotian friend, Lamphan. This uniquely Laotian / Thai marinade makes for a really great taste sensation. I fused it with Southern American barbecue, cooking it with low heat and wet smoke. Lets start with the marinade on this Food Porn adventure:"

 

• Ready In: 55hrs
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• Marinade

• 3⁄4 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1⁄4 cup oyster sauce
• 1⁄4 cup sambal oelek
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup white sugar
• 1⁄4 cup sriracha may be substituted for sambal oelek (or added if you like it spicier)
• about 15 to 20 beef short ribs

directions

1. Trim excess fat to <1/8" on the short ribs (I had about 15) and place into a gallon size zip-top bag. It is not recommended to remove the silverskin from the bone side, as that what attaches the meat to the bone. Removing it will allow the meat to fall away from this handy device, resulting in the need for western utensils.
2. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients until the sugar has dissolved, and pour into the zip-top bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Lay the marinade bag on plate in refrigerator overnight and up to 3 days, turning once in awhile, or when you visit the fridge.
3. For best results use a smoker (or Weber Kettle grill with a wet setup - Google it) . I placed the water tray filled halfway with hot water in the bottom of my smoker and set the smoker to 225° F.
4. I placed the short ribs evenly spaced on two racks and set the vent to half way. I cook with low wet heat for about three hours, then lower the heat to 190° F for a further 3 hours.
5. After six hours of low wet heat, I add some Hickory and Apple chips to the smoker and open the vent to full, for a light smoke. I allow this smoke for 1 hour and remove to a plate to cool. Do not cover with foil or "Texas Crutch" these, or you will end up with pot roast, wrecking all that work you did.
6. I served these delightful beef nuggets with two side salads of carrot and cucumber and Maque Choux, a traditional NOLA side dish inspired by the indigenous first people of our nation and amalgamated by the Acadian French cooks of olde.