KRK: Trophy Hunter BBQ Ribs
INGREDIENTS:
■ Beef short ribs (3-3.5 Lbs. for this recipe)
■ Dry rub (ingredients listed below under dry rub section)
■ Apple cider vinegar (1oz.) for 50/50
■ Fresh water (1oz.) for 50/50
INSTRUCTIONS:
"Val-Verde Mud" Dry Rub
This rub uses coffee to create a deep, dark "bark" on the ribs. Coffee sounds crazy, but it calls to the origin of some of darkest, most deep-flavored coffee beans, grown and roasted in South America, home to the calid jungles of "Val-Verde." It combines South American spices to fit the jungle setting. It's earthy, smokey, and has a delayed heat that hunts you down!
Ingredients: (yields enough for a rack of beef short ribs or approximately 3-4 Lbs. worth)
•The Base
■ Brown sugar for the glaze (1/4 cup)
■ Kosher salt (2 tbsp.)
■ Black pepper freshly cracked (2 tbsp.)
•Jungle Heat
■ Finely ground coffee (expresso roast works best) (2 tbsp.) for earthiness and color.
■ Smoked Paprika for explosion (1 tbsp.)
■ Cayenne pepper for the hurt (1 tsp.)
■ Chipotle powder for deep heat (1 tsp.)
•Aromatics
■ Ground Allspice (1 tsp.) the secret weapon for Caribbean/South American jungle flavor.
■ Garlic powder (1 tsp.)
■ Onion powder (1 tsp.)
■ Ground cumin (1/2 tsp.)
•The Binder
■ Yellow mustard (1/4 cup, enough to lightly coat the ribs. You will not taste the mustard in the end).
•Application
Sprinkle the dry rub from up high. This is the rainfall method, used for even coverage.
•Camouflage
Pat the rub into the meat gently. Do not apply hard. You want a thick coating that completely hides the pink meat, just like Dutch covering himself in mud.
•The Wait
Let the ribs sit with the rub for at least 30 minutes before they hit the smoker. This allows the salt to seat into the meat similar to the humidity on Val-Verde.
Time to Begin the Hunt!
The recipe calls for a smoker. Depending on the amount of meat, some traditional smokers call anywhere in between 2-4 hours until ready. (In the video, we utilized a ninja electric smoker which cut time to only an hour and ten minutes, we also only made approximately a half rack of short beef ribs). There is no preference as long as you stay on top of the heat being applied and the moisture preservation process. Heat the smoker and add your wood chips if desired. You should heat the smoker to 225 degrees to begin. Traditional smokers would need to gradually increase depending on amount of meat. Place the ribs in the smoker and allow the heat to meet the dry rub and the meat. Let this process take it's natural course. Half way through your cooking time begin to spray the ribs with the 50/50 apple cider/ water. This helps retain moisture inside and at the same time assists in the charring of the outer bark. You may want to repeat this process every 15 mins or so. Three-quarters of the way into the cooking, take the ribs out and wrap them in aluminum foil or waxed butcher paper. Once wrapped, lay them back on the grill until the time is up. We want our finished ribs anywhere from 145°F-165°F. For a bigger amount of ribs the temperature may need to reach an excess of 190°F.
•The Arrival (final presentation)
Remove the ribs from the smoker and unwrap the ribs. Allow them to sit for about 10-15 mins before you hit them with your choice of sauce. We prefer to serve them as is. The rub was engineered to take care of the flavor haul. No sauce needed! The coffee and brown sugar work together to caramelize the outer layer. The interior flavor is enhanced from the bitterness of the coffee which cuts through the deep fat, along side the allspice which help give it an exotic location feel. The Chipotle and Cayenne powder rise from the heat as they should. They're tasked with redirecting your sinus pressure and evoking a true plasma-caster from your mouth! Join the Chef in initiating the self destruct sequence on your diet with this smoked, beefy recipe worthy of any extraterrestrial trophy hunter skull...or in this case rib.
Bon Appétit.