Argentinian Style Beef Ribs

MORE MEAT FROM THE VERA EARL RANCH!

This batch of ribs came from my new favorite meat store in Sonoita, Arizona-Vera Earl Ranch. I talked about this family owned and run Ranch a couple weeks ago in my blog using their Thor’s Hammer–an unusual and remarkable 4# piece of beef. The ribs (4 ribs/2 #’s total) were succulent and juicy. I respect the philosophy at the Vera Earl Ranch. They have as much consideration for the land as they do compassion for their beef. And it shows in the final product. Learn more about them: https://www.veraearlranch.com

Here are the ribs right off the grill topped with grilled apples from the marinade.

WHAT ARE ARGENTINIAN STYLE BEEF RIBS?

The difference between Argentinian style ribs and traditional American ribs, which are sometimes also called “franken-style”, ribs is the cut. The meat is cut crosswise across the bone so that each piece has several pieces of bone and is a thinner cut than American style ribs, which are generally cooked low and slow as they can be quite tough. Each rib section has about 4 pieces of bone in them and lots of beautiful meat. This cut also means less connective tissue so you can cook the meat quickly over a hot grill, without becoming tough. In the US they are often used for Korean BBQ.

Look at the size of these ribs! Just about 1/2 lb. each.

MARINATING THE BEEF

I generally marinate tougher cuts of meat and even though these Argentinian style rib cuts are more tender than the ribs we are used to in the US, still decided to marinate for tender, juicy and yummy flavors.

This photo is missing some of the ingredients in the marinade, as I tasted and tweaked ingredients as I went and added ketchup, honey, and apple, but I wanted you to see these gorgeous ribs before they were cooked.

The marinade I made was smoky, spicy, a little sweet, but not hot. Cook all ingredients  down to get it a bit thick. The ribs sat all day in the fridge in this luscious marinade. You could also marinate overnight. It sounds like a lot of ingredients, but I just kept adding, tasting, until I got it right. This is what I used: 1/3 olive oil, 1/4 cup smoked balsamic vinegar (any good quality balsamic would work), 1/2 cup rich red wine, 1 tsp. liquid Hickory smoke, 3 cloves smashed garlic, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, salt, white pepper, Cajun BBQ salt, 2 Tbsp. ketchup, 2 Tbsp. honey, 1 apple sliced with skin. It had the perfect balance of sweet, salty, a little smoky and spicy. The apple was subtle, but you could taste it. While I was grilling, I also grilled a few of the marinated apples and used them for garnish.

Here are the ribs after sitting in their bath all day, ready to grill. Get your grill very hot.

Sear the ribs on each side for about 3 minutes per side, brushing with more marinade as they cook. Turn down the heat and grill for another 8 to 10 minutes (4 to 5 minutes per side) for a total of 15 minutes  cooking time.

About 5 minutes before the ribs are ready to take off the grill, place the marinated apples on the grill to get a light cook with some nice char marks.

I served our Argentinian style ribs with a hot German Potato Salad (recipe coming soon!) and grilled vegetables. I made a Chimichurri sauce for my ribs, but my husband, Jerry prefers plain meat, so no Chimichurri for him.

With the left-overs I shaved the meat off the last of the ribs and reheated over home-made biscuits, topped and melted with aged cheddar. Kind of like a Philly Steak Bomb, but better!

I love the fact my husband loves food. It would be very disappointing for me if he didn’t! We all need to eat and you might as well enjoy it to the fullest!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

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5 from 2 votes

Marinated, Grilled Argentinian style Beef Ribs

Different from American style beef ribs. Equally, if not more delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs. Argentinian style Beef Ribs This portion was 4 ribs.
• Salt, liberal amount for coating ribs, both sides.

For the Marinade

• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Red wine, any good quality rich red works well. I used OZV Zin.
• 1/4 cup Smoked Balsamic Vinegar Any good quality balsamic would be fine.
• 2 Tbsp. Ketchup
• 1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 2 Tbsp. Honey
• 1/2 tsp. Cajun BBQ Salt
• 1 tsp. Liquid Smoke I use Wright's brand Hickory smoke, but Mesquite would be nice, too.
• 1 Apple, sliced, but not peeled
• 3 Garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Instructions

To Make the Marinade

• Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Heat until bubbling. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the consistency becomes syrup-like, but not too thick. If it gets too thick, thin it with a little more red wine and/or olive oil.
• Cool until completely chilled. Place the well salted ribs into a zip lock bag and pour in the marinade. Refrigerate in the marinade for 6 hours or up to overnight. Every hour or so rub the ribs in the bag of marinade to ensure all sides are coated completely. You are also massaging the goodness into the meat.

To Grill the Ribs

• Bring the ribs to room temp. Pull them out of the marinade, but do not scrape off the juices. Just set them on a plate ready to move to the grill. Remove the apples and garlic, but do not through them out.
• Get your grill piping hot. The thermostat on my grill no longer works, but you will know when it is ready.
• Oil the grill with Pam or other cooking spray and lay ribs on the grill. Cook for about 3 minutes per side to sear and create some good grill marks. Liberally brush with the marinade as they cook.
• Turn down the heat, marinate a final time, and cook another 8 to 10 minutes total (4 to 5 minutes per side).
• Remove from the heat. Let rest and serve.
• About 5 minutes before taking the ribs off, lay some of the apple slices from the marinade onto the grill and cook lightly until you have some nice grill marks. Garnish the ribs with the grilled apples.

To Make the Chimichurri

• Add 1 cup fresh parsley, 2 cloves peeled garlic, 1/2 half onion, 1 Tbsp. wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice, 4 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/4 tsp. each of Ancho and New Mexican Chili powder. Salt/white pepper to taste. Blend vigorously until completely combined and you have a smooth paste.

Notes

These Argentinian style ribs are delicious! This is such a fun recipe. Easy to make, as once the ribs are in the marinade, you just wait. I love Chimichurri's and the ingredients vary greatly regionally. I made this one with what I had in the house. It keeps well and is excellent on chicken, eggs in the morning, just about anything!