Expert gives tips and tricks for making a perfect barbecue ribs

Beef rib is one of the most consumed cuts in Brazilian barbecues. For lovers of a good roast, there is nothing better than a well-made, juicy rib that melts in your mouth. But it is very common to see poorly prepared preparations out there, which spoil the meat and disappoint those who eat it.

Therefore, not everyone dares to face all the preparations and hours of fire that this cut requires. But if you want to face the challenge, our barbecue consultant, Douglas Pulpero, CEO of Restaurante Pulperiano, delivers the “knife and skewer” of a well-made prime rib.

Features and how to buy

Douglas: Ribs are the cut with the greatest variety of flavors and textures, given the characteristic of their long fibers, which require a longer cooking time to be able to serve.

At the time of purchase, one detail that we must take care of in order to have a quality rib is a piece with smaller bones. This indicates that it is from a young animal and will win in the macies. Remembering that the thicker the rib, the longer the fire time needed to make it soft and roasted.

types of ribs

Douglas: Rib or Costelão Fogo de Chão, is the “Whole Window” or Tip. The preparation depends on more skills from the roaster, specific materials, such as a special skewer for preparation, an appropriate place and fire time that varies from 4 to 12 hours. This is how we serve it in our Pulperiando Restaurant.

For the barbecue we have Minga, Ripa and Asado de Tira cuts.

porridge and ripa of ribs, they are very tasty cuts, but the preparation time is also long, we need at least 2 to 3 hours of heat. Yes, heat, as we should use only the calorie of coal or firewood to roast, avoiding flames that can make the meat dry on the outside and remain raw inside, leaving the protein rigid.

strip roast it is a noble cut, extracted between the first and fifth rib of the front of the ox (this is how it was spread in Brazil, whereas in Argentina there are strip roasts from the front and rear of the ox).

This cut has good marbling and juiciness, but the great advantage is the fast and practical preparation time on the grill (Parrilla), around 15 to 20 minutes.

Tips from the grill master

Douglas: Noaluminum foil, bye! I know that many do it this way to make the ribs “soft”, but using this technique, you are first cooking your protein, without interference from smoke and direct heat, which make all the difference in your final result.

Tip 1: When the fibers begin to break down (when the bones begin to detach from the meat), do not let the temperature drop, and this temperature cannot exceed 95 degrees either.

The height of the meat on the skewer should be 50 to 80cm from the fire, depending a lot on each grill size and potential heat generated by it.

Tip 2: It should be roasted all the time with the bone facing down and, when you notice that the bones are coming loose, this after more than 2 hours of fire, turn your ribs over and leave for around 20 minutes with the meat side facing fire to finish, after that you can beat the salt that is left and enjoy this wonder.

The sweet spot: The rib is a protein that does not provide us with several points, the ideal is roasted, soft and juicy in its entirety and, sometimes, it even falls apart.

A good roaster needs: A lot of patience! Make a mate (chimarrão) and/or open your beer, gather your family, your friends and take your time, the main thing is that the barbecue provides us with unique moments of fraternization, as I always say: fire unites!

Learn more about Douglas Pulpero at @pulperiando