The Lauded Beef-Back-Ribs (Sous-Vide)

Living in the NW and sourcing Beef-Back-Ribs is very difficult to literally nonexistent. And if you do find any, it's only in the summer, and the quality is hit and miss. I found some the other day, and thankfully they were above board on quality and meat to bone ratio. Over the years, I've made these maybe 20x. I went through my google pictures to calculate how many times I've made them, and it's right at about 20x. 

I've tried every time and temp, including Warm-Aging, and these last 5 cooks have confirmed for me that 159f at 24-Hours works very well. Perfect amount of fat rendering, tender meat, and ideal chew, and minimum moisture loss. The muscle fibers, as well as the fat, has an excellent mouthfeel. The meat does not fall off the bone, and that's what I was going for. If you pull apart the bones, the meat effortlessly pulls away but not to the point where it's just falling off. 

To dry-brine, use your favorite Beef Rub (contains salt) and dust on both sides. I won't go into all the advantages of dry-brining. Still, I will give you some highlights: The salt denatures the muscle fibers, which help with moisture retention and tenderness because as the fibers loosen, they are unable to squeeze as hard during the cooking process hence more moisture. And obviously, unraveled fibrils make for a more tender protein. And last but not least, you flavor the inside too. 

Dry-Brine for a minimum of 24-hrs and 40-hrs being the sweet spot. After the elapsed time drop in the bath set to 159f for 24-Hours. Sometimes if the mass is significant, I will set the bath a few degrees higher than desired final temp to hedge the recovery time. After dropping the protein, wait about 2-3 minutes to stabilize, then set at the desired temperature. 

After the 24-Hours, place protein into a large container and let rest for about 15-Minutes. This will help redistribute juices and fat. Fill with cold tap water and shock with a large amount of ice. I always have ice on hand, and if you plan ahead, consider filling up a few containers and freezing. Refrigerate at a minimum of overnight. If you know anything about smoking, smoke is attracted to cold and wet meat. Also, the cold meat will let you smoke a little longer and mitigate overcooking. 

Run the vacuum bag under hot tap water to slightly melt the congealed fat. Doing this will help you remove the rib from the bag. I smoked my ribs at 225f, but you may need to go a little higher or lower depending on your setup. I.e., For the Offset, a slightly higher temp or a pellet grill a lower setting initially for a better smoke. Smoked with mesquite at 225f for 90-Minutes. At 90-Minutes the ribs could be easily pulled apart. I was not looking at an I.T (internal temp) because of past experience. At 90-minutes, I brushed on some BBQ-Sauce and dusted it with some extra pepper. After about 30-Minutes I cranked it up to 300f for a few minutes to increase the caramelization. 

All done!!!!

Out freaking standing!!!!

Bought 19 more lbs

This is a 64-Liter container filled with 45-Liters of Water. I am using a Hydro-Pro-Plus to heat. ZERO issues keeping temp. I placed probes at the bottom to ensure the temp was good. 

Insulated with about 6 Blanket too... 

Bungee cords were used to secure the blankets to the unit.