Prepare the grill for indirect, low & slow cooking, 225°–275°F. Remove the grates from the indirect side of the grill and place a foil drip pan on the flavorizer bars, then fill with 4 cups of water. Replace the cooking grates over the drip pan.
Use the snake method to prepare the kettle grill for indirect, low & slow cooking.
Place an aluminum foil pan in the center of the charcoal grate and fill halfway with water. Line the perimeter of the kettle with 2 rows of briquettes that circle ¾ of the way around, placing a 2nd row of 2 briquettes on top of the first row. Be sure that the briquettes are lined up vertically, and that all the briquettes are touching.
Set the grill to 250°F. Preheat for 15 minutes and brush the grill grates clean.
Place the wood chips in a smoker box over the lit burners. Preheat the grill until smoke appears and brush the grates clean.
Place the wood chunks on top of the charcoal, toward the beginning of the snake. Light the snake with 8–10 lit briquettes and adjust the dampers to achieve a temperature of 225°–275°F
Cut away the excess fat from the meat side of the short ribs and cut the ribs into separate bones.
Cut away the excess fat from the meat side of the short ribs and cut the ribs into separate bones.
Combine the mustard and pickle juice in a small bowl to make a binder for the seasoning. Combine the black pepper and salt in a separate bowl.
Combine the mustard and pickle juice in a small bowl to make a binder for the seasoning. Combine the black pepper and salt in a separate bowl.
Spread a thin layer of the binder over the meat, then generously coat the meat with the seasoning (note: it’s not necessary to season the bone-side, as there is no meat on that side of the short ribs).
Insert a meat probe into the thickest part of the meat.
Place the short ribs above the water pan and cook until the bark has set and the internal temperature is around 165°F, 4–6 hours (see recipe tips).
Place the short ribs above the water pan and cook until the bark has set and the internal temperature is around 165°F, 4–6 hours (see recipe tips), rotating the cooking grate as necessary to keep the bottom of the short ribs from scorching as the coals burn.
Remove the short ribs from the grill and wrap in butcher paper, then wrap in a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil, being sure not to make the foil airtight.
Cook the wrapped short ribs until a probe slides easily through the meat and the internal temperature is 201°–207°F, 2–4 hours more.
Remove the short ribs from the grill, wrap them in a towel, and place them in a cooler to rest until the internal temperature is 140°–150°F before serving, 2–4 hours longer.
Recipe Tip
Wrapping the ribs in butcher paper and foil will speed the cooking process along by helping the ribs push past “the stall,” where the temperature doesn’t rise for several hours. Using the butcher paper as a barrier between the foil and beef will protect the bark.
Learning when your bark is set will come with practice. Some instruct cooking the beef until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F before wrapping, others go purely on look and feel. We suggest a balance of the two: using the temperature as a guide for when to start checking the look and feel of the bark. The seasoning shouldn’t come off if you rub your finger across it, and it won’t look like wet, like a paste. It should look as though the seasoning and the beef have become one!
