Beef Short Ribs cook w/Pron

[Brother Matt]

Well, I've been looking at a butcher pack of beef short ribs I had in my freezer all winter, and decided yesterday was the day! They were from a small bull I raised and had slaughtered in the fall. He was a Dexter, so a much smaller animal than most market beef. Here's the ribs ready for the rub.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040152.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040153.jpg

I had a pot of beans soaking next to them that I canned along with a smoked ham hock during the cook. Gave me something to do and I needed to restock the pantry for upcoming chili smokes! Back to the ribs, I gave 'em a good rubdown with smoking guns next...

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/c43c1625-b404-4fa4-b09c-c29aa7ca79bb.jpg

Fired up the contraption a half hour or so beforehand, and got her settled in...

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040141.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040159.jpg

I canned my pork hock and beans, and then went outside to tend fire and sit on the heated bench that is a byproduct of firing the smoker...

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040172.jpg

...and about six hours later, out came these!

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040262.jpg

In a recent thread, someone mentioned beef short ribs were like mini brisket. Well, I can't argue with that!

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040278.jpg

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040281.jpg

Thanks for looking, and thanks everybody for all the great info. I learn so much here. These guys were cooked until a toothpick probed like butter, which I never would have known how to do without you all. Time to fire up the contraption for tonight's smoke!

[Sunra]

Those look great!

[BobM]

Those look really good! :hungry:

[Al Czervik]

Those ribs look farkin' fantastic Brother Matt:clap:

[Hambone1950]

Mmmmm , I bet they were tasty. That is quite a smoking setup ya got there. The heated bench is genius. :idea:

[Brother Matt]

Mmmmm , I bet they were tasty. That is quite a smoking setup ya got there. The heated bench is genius. :idea:


Thank you! It works great for my cold climate, I'm right near the ocean so it really never is warm here in the evenings. This thing is a game changer for me, since I love to sit around a fire.

Here's a surface outdoors last night while I cooked...
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040198.jpg

...and at the same time, here's my assistant enjoying the bench...

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/BB%20Photos/P1040234.jpg

[code3rrt]

Great looking shortribs and a nice looking "kitchen". I love good shortribs!

KC

[Smokin Ribs]

nice ribs and i love ur smoker

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Great looking ribs.

[jimbolyo]

Brother Matt, awesome looking chow there, I really like your smoker setup as well. I'm thinking about building something like it. Thanks for the idea!

[Titch]

Great looking setup and cook mate

[Big George's BBQ]

That looks excellent

[charrederhead]

What the fark??? First, ribs look awesome. Second...I need more pics of the contraption! Third, do you usually foil cat? :shocked: (j/k...that is one very cool looking cat!)

[Brother Matt]

What the fark??? First, ribs look awesome. Second...I need more pics of the contraption! Third, do you usually foil cat? :shocked: (j/k...that is one very cool looking cat!)


Thanks man! I typically don't foil the cat as I don't want to lose that "tortoise shell" bark. :grin:

As for the rig, it's a work in progress so let me get a little farther on the finish and I'll bore you all with tons of photos. It's basically a "rocket mass heater", but with a horizontally fed firebox instead of the vertical.
http://www.vermontel.net/~edfransen/rocket_htr.gif
I used barrels cut in half lengthwise and covered in mud for the benches. The barrels make the flue path and create a strong arch shape for the mud to mold over. The main mod is there is a hole in the top of the barrel with an adjustable baffle.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h228/mremine/P1220302.jpg

With that baffle I can precisely control the heat output, and use it as a modular system. Sometimes I put a small cabinet smoker up there, sometimes a small masonry oven. I've used a cast iron griddle, as well as boiling crab or running the canner. This configuration is the little weber with a hole cut in the bottom and a pizza stone inside for a heat diffuser. Since the firebox burns so clean as to be basically smokeless, I just throw apple sticks on top of the barrel between it and the weber to add smoke. It offers pretty good control in this configuration.

I'm currently working on the stone skin for the firebox, and finishing the bench faces. And smoking a butt!

[Freddy j]

The ribs look awesome and the contraption is one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

[charrederhead]

Ok.....my mouth is pretty much hanging open in amazement and awe. Looking forward to the progress pics.

[Buried In Smoke]

That is awesome, in too many ways. Very cool setup. We have been looking at doing something similar at my folks house my the lake for those cool autumn nights. Very inspiring! Love it!

[troy76]

Looks mighty tasty, nice setup.

[VA-Dave]

Stellar ribs.

Nice cooker too.

Dave

[Dallas Dan]

Great looking ribs and setup! Thanks for sharing. :clap: