Beef Ribs, cooked via sous vide for 48 hours, are tender and juicy, brimming with barbecue flavor charred on a cast iron grill.
Beef ribs are sometimes overlooked because they are chewier than pork ribs. They also have a more distinct beefy flavor that stands up well to strongly flavored barbecue sauces. If you haven’t had them before, give them a try.
Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking
If you are unfamiliar with sous vide cooking, it’s basically putting food in a bag and cooking it at a controlled temperature with an immersion cooker. These used to be available only for high-end restaurants but now they are made for everyday home use.
Fantastic Tenderization
One of the standout features of sous vide cooking is its ability to consistently deliver impeccably tender beef ribs. The controlled low-temperature environment breaks down collagen and connective tissues over time, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture that traditional cooking methods struggle to achieve. Your beef ribs will emerge from the sous vide bath with a remarkable tenderness that leaves an everlasting impression.
Flavor Infusion
Sous vide isn’t just about tenderness; it’s also a technique that allows for exceptional flavor infusion. By vacuum-sealing the beef ribs with marinade and seasoning, you create an airtight environment that locks in flavors. As the meat cooks in its own juices, it absorbs the rich, nuanced tastes, resulting in a depth of flavor that’s unparalleled.
Precise Doneness
Achieving the perfect level of doneness can be a culinary challenge, but sous vide makes it a breeze. With precise temperature control, you can cook your beef ribs to your desired level of doneness without any risk of overcooking. Whether you crave medium-rare, medium, or well-done beef ribs, sous vide ensures that your culinary masterpiece will be consistent and delectable every time.
The longer you leave food in sous vide bath, the softer it becomes. It’s one of the reasons why I like making Chuck Roast Sous Vide for 72 hours because it makes a tough piece of meat as tender as a filet.
There is a caveat here, though. Meat can become too soft and then it’s not good. Foods break down and start to decay at a certain point. Foods should not be in sous vide for more than 4 days.
How to Sous Vide Beef Ribs
Leave enough room so that water can easily flow around the food. Submerge the food completely under the water. Take all the air out of the bag. If you don’t have vacuum-sealable bags, then use the water displacement method.
Beef ribs are large and you might find yourself not being able to fit them in the vessel you usually use. That was my case, so I used one side of my double sink. Of course, although the food was in a vacuum-sealed bag, I still bleached the entire area, just to be sure.
Getting a Good Char on Beef Ribs Sous Vide
Boiled food never browns because it cannot reach the temperature for the Maillard reaction which starts at 285℉ / 140℃. Food coming out of the sous vide bag is always moist, especially if it has been cooked with marinade. Therefore, it is imperative that you wipe as much moisture off as possible.
The other thing to consider is the heat of your grill. If you are cooking outdoors, just make sure your coals are gray, or that your grill has reached at least 450℉ / 232℃. I use an *infrared cooking thermometer to find out if my cast iron stovetop grill is at the right temperature. When I put these ribs on, it was 664℉ / 351℃.
Beef Ribs Sous Vide Recipe
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Beef Ribs Sous Vide
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 4 pounds Beef ribs
- 1 tablespoon Barbecue 3000, or your favorite rub
~~ — Sous Vide Bag — ~~
- 2 tablespoon *Woody’s Cook-in’ Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Mis Rubins Magic Marinade
- 3 cloves Garlic
~~ — For the Grill — ~~
- 1 tablespoon *Mis Rubin’s Black Magic
¼ cup Boswell Barbecue Sauce
Instructions
- Mis en place
- 4 pounds Beef ribs, 1 tablespoon Barbecue 3000Cut any excess fat off the ribs. Rub the ribs well with the barbecue rub.
- 2 tablespoon Woody’s Cook-in’ SauceBrush the ribs with the Cookin' Sauce.
- 3 cloves Garlic, 2 tablespoon Mis Rubins Magic MarinadePut the broken up pieces of garlic in the the bag with the Magic Marinade.
- Put the ribs in the bag, squishing it with your hands to remove as much air as possible. Seal the bag. You can put them in the refrigerator to marinate overnight or you can freeze them to use at another time.
- Prepare the sous vide at set it to 135 for 48 hours. Walk away.
- When the ribs are done, remove them from the bag and pat them dry with a papertowel. Get as much liquid off them as possible.
- 1 tablespoon Mis Rubin’s Black Magic, 1/4 cup Boswell Barbecue SauceSet the cast iron grill to high. While that is happening, sprinkle the ribs with Black Magic and press down on them so the seasoning gets in. Brush the rubs with barbecue sauce.
- When the grill reaches at least 500, put the ribs on the grill. Brush the side that is facing up with sauce.
- After 30 seconds, turn the ribs and brush the other side. Turn the ribs and bush that side, then do one more turn and brush to make sure all the sides have browned and have been sauced.
- Let the ribs rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
I like the sauce, and I loved the way these looked when I made them. But, they were tougher than pork ribs. I love your pork ribs recipe and that’s why I tried this one. Sorry for only giving it 4 stars.
My family loves beef ribs. We don’t eat pork. Using the sous vide method for these made them tender and delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Five Stars!