Why Short Ribs Are A Cut Of Beef You Should Never Grill

If you're planning a family gathering or a get-together with friends, it may be tempting to break out the grill and give your meat a charcoal or smoky flavor. However, if you are planning on grilling short ribs, then you might want to reconsider your approach. While other beef cuts, like sirloin, ribeyes, T-bones, or even hamburger patties, benefit from being cooked on the grill, short ribs aren't among them. So consider other cooking methods that cater to the meat's strength rather than settle for a subpar result.

Not all cuts of beef are the same, and the location of the joint plays a crucial role in how you might cook them. Short ribs come from the cow's lower front ribs. As such, they're not heavy in the meat department. Short ribs are covered in a layer of fat and gristle, which makes them a tougher piece of meat than something soft and tender like a ribeye, which comes from the upper ribs. That's why it's probably not the best idea to grill short ribs, as they're likely to be chewy and tough to eat. Instead, you should consider a slow cooking method.

As they say, slow and steady wins the race, and that's true when it comes to beef short ribs. Rather than cook them on a high heat, you want to cook them on a lower heat for longer. Compare slow-cooked short ribs to short ribs you tossed on the grill and you'll notice a big difference. Slow-cooked short ribs should be cooked until the meat almost falls off the bone. The lower heat allows the fat and gristle to dissipate, leaving behind tender meat as a result. If you grill short ribs, you don't allow enough time for the fat to fall away, and you're left with tough meat.

There are a couple of different ways to slow-roast your short ribs. You can always pop them in the oven for a few hours to slow cook. Cover them in a quick and easy barbecue sauce for a tasty, juicy dinner. Alternatively, if you want to cook outside and not mess up your kitchen, consider using a slow smoker instead. You'll get the same smoky flavor while giving your ribs time to simmer, too. That being said, if you have your heart set on grilling, then this is how you can achieve the best results. 

While it's best to braise short ribs for better results, grilled short ribs remain popular, especially in Korean and Argentinian cuisines. So, it is possible to grill short ribs, but it's a tricky cut of meat that requires you to know what you're doing. Otherwise, you'll be eating a charcoal bone for dinner. In Korean cuisine, chefs cut the meat in a flanken style. This is also known as English short ribs and is preferred due to the amount of meat compared to fat and bone. 

The trick to grilling short ribs is getting them to the right temperature. Ideally, you should cook short ribs to medium rare. This allows some of the fat and gristle to melt, but it doesn't overcook the beef. Keeping things as tender and juicy as possible is the battle, as you're dealing with a tougher piece of meat that can become chewy if cooked for too long. Likewise, you may want to consider salting your ribs ahead of time. This will help tenderize the meat somewhat. However, you're better off from a texture perspective braising your meat, so keep that in mind if you decide to light up the grill.