Applewood-Smoked Teriyaki Beef Short Ribs

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Big beef short ribs go into the smoker with applewood and come out six hours later with a dark peppery bark and meat that pulls away from the bone. A quick soy-mirin teriyaki glaze made on the stovetop while they cook gets brushed on at the end, so the ribs taste like the best parts of Texas barbecue and a Tokyo izakaya at once. Twelve ingredients, mostly hands-off, and the smoker does every bit of the cooking.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 lb bone-in beef short ribs (3- to 4-bone plate rack or individual English-cut ribs)
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 chunks applewood smoking chunks (or 3 cups applewood chips)

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Pat the short ribs dry and trim any thick, hard surface fat down to about 1/4 inch. Mix the kosher salt and black pepper and season the ribs on all sides, pressing it in. Let them sit at room temperature while the smoker comes up to heat, about 45 minutes.
2. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F (120°C) and add the applewood chunks (or a foil pouch of soaked chips) to the coals or wood tray. Wait until the smoke runs thin and blue, not white and billowing, before the meat goes on.
3. Place the ribs bone-side down directly on the grate and smoke, undisturbed, for about 3 hours, until a deep mahogany bark has set and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest meat reads 160-170°F (71-77°C). Top up charcoal and add one fresh wood chunk at the 90-minute mark if the smoke has died off.
4. While the ribs smoke, make the glaze: combine the soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and rice vinegar in a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes, until slightly syrupy and reduced by about a third. Set aside.
5. Lay the ribs meat-side down on a double layer of heavy foil, spoon over 3 tablespoons of the glaze, and wrap tightly. Return to the smoker and cook another 2 1/2 to 3 hours at 250°F, until the internal temperature reaches 203°F (95°C) and a probe slides into the meat with no resistance, like into soft butter.
6. Leave the ribs wrapped and rest them in a turned-off oven or a dry cooler for 45 minutes. Do not skip this — it is what keeps the meat juicy.
7. Unwrap, brush the ribs generously with the remaining warm glaze, slice between the bones, and scatter with scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with steamed rice and any glaze left in the pan.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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