This is Bar 44’s Andalucían take on BBQ smoked beef short ribs – perfect for a spot of heatwave feasting
This recipe uses a stunning toasted nutty dry Oloroso from Jerez to bind a classic spice mix harking back to Southern Spain’s influence by Arab rule – which ended in the 13th century but still has an indelible mark on the cuisine and architecture in this part of Spain. We recommend pairing a plateful with a cold Estrella Galicia beer for the best finishing result.
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1.5-2kg of beef short ribs (Jacobs ladder), 4 bones. Trimmed & silverskin removed
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted in a dry pan
• 2 tablespoons mild smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 stems of thyme leaves, picked
• 1 tablespoon sea salt (flakes)
• ½ tablespoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
• Zest & juice of 1 lemon
• 50ml dry oloroso sherry
• 50ml olive oil
Method
1 Add all your dry spices, herbs and salt/pepper to a blender, blend for 1 minute.
2 Add tour fresh garlic and lemon, blend again for 20 seconds.
3 Add your oil and sherry and give another blend for 30 seconds or so, until you have a lovely thick smooth and amazingly aromatic marinade.
4 Rub it all over the short ribs on all sides. Wrap with clingfilm and then with foil, refrigerate overnight.
5 Next morning, you need to light your BBQ. I use a mix of sustainable charcoal to get things going, and then hickory wood for the long smoke.
6 You can use any BBQ with a kettle style BBQ for this. Add charcoal to a chimney starter if you have one (makes life really easy) & get it going with a natural firelighter.
7 Put a roasting or foil tin in the base of the BBQ to one side, as you will be cooking this over indirect heat. Once your charcoal has got going, add it to the other side of the bottom of the BBQ.
8 You are aiming for a temperature inside the kettle BBQ of 110-120 degrees. You’ll need to close the air vents most of the way to get this low and even heat. Add your hickory logs now also.
9 Add your short ribs to the grill, directly above the water tin/foil. This will keep moisture in the cooking time and help an even cook, as well as catching a lot of dripping.
10 You can aim for 8 hours on this cook, checking the temperature every hour or 2, adding any more logs or charcoal as necessary. It’s ready when the ribs are so meltingly tender you could pull the bone out with your forefinger and thumb! Rest for 20 minutes if you can resist…
Note: If you don’t have a kettle BBQ or it’s cold and suddenly tipping down with rain, these ribs are also amazing in the oven. Cook in a covered roasting tin for 4-5 hours at 120 degrees, taking the lid/foil off for the last hour.
Recipe courtesy of Bar 44
