Entertaining

Shake up your summer barbecue with smoky Miami ribs

Flanken ribs

This article originally appeared in the Early Summer 2015 issue of Cottage Life magazine.

Nothing says summer like smoky, southern-style beef ribs. Big, bold flavour, finger-licking goodness, and fall-off-the-bone texture make Miami ribs casual crowd-pleasers. Miami ribs, a.k.a. “flanken” or “Korean” ribs, are beef short ribs sliced across the bone by your butcher. A little liquid smoke makes these ribs taste like you used a smoker, without actually needing one.

  • 2 tsp garlic salt (10 ml)
  • 2 tsp onion salt (10 ml)
  • 1 tbsp salt (15 ml)
  • 1 tbsp celery salt (15 ml)
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper (15 ml)
  • 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce (20 ml)
  • 2 tbsp liquid smoke (30 ml)
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (60 ml)
  • 4 lbs Miami beef ribs (about 2 kg)

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except ribs. Add ribs, toss, and rub marinade into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

2. In a roasting pan, stack 2 pieces of 48″ by 12″ (120 cm by 30 cm) aluminum foil. Place the meat on the foil and pour marinade overtop.

3. Make small, tight, overlapping folds along the edges of the foil to form a tightly sealed packet. Bake in a 250°F (120°C) oven for about 6 hours.

4. Remove roasting pan from oven. Let packet rest, unopened, for 20 minutes. Open packet and cut ribs between bones for individual riblets.

5. Meanwhile, preheat barbecue to med- ium high (375°F–450°F/190°C–230°C). Brush riblets with your favourite barbecue sauce and grill for 2 minutes per side. Serves 6-8.

Liquid smoke shocker: When N.Y.C. chef David Chang drips liquid smoke into his signature eggs-and-caviar, barbecue purists clutch their pearls in horror. Liquid smoke, long reviled as a heavy-handed, uncouth bully, is showing up in respectable recipes these days. Use it with restraint in chili, baked beans, pulled pork, and onion soup. While barbecue sauces can stand up to liquid smoke, add a dash at a time to mayo (for burgers and potato salad), cream soups, or cheese sauces—it easily overpowers delicate flavours.