For short ribs, does not matter thick or thin, large or small. Same timing and same temperature.

Very slow, very low.

I sous vide cook my short ribs at 140F for 72 hours.

dcarch

I don't have a sous vide cooker, so how low is low in a conventional oven? Thanks.

You can try to find out with a small pot of water, set the temperature at the lowest, give it plenty of time, then test with a thermometer.

Some convection ovens cannot go very low temperature, so you may have to use the non-convection feature.

dcarch

I think the ribs you are describing are the cross cut variety that you can use for bulgogi . Although technically you could braise them it would not be my first choice. Look for the typical thick or the lonf thick cut cut for a result such as your mother had.

Low and slow is the way to go. I don't know that I'd cook them for 72 hours though. I smoke mine for around 6 hours at 225 to 275 degrees with my brisket rub. When you buy them, try to find the thickest ones and cook them bone side up.

"-- Low and slow is the way to go. I don't know that I'd cook them for 72 hours though.--"

Actually, very low temperature 72 hour short ribs is a different recipe, not to be compared with all the other recipes. It has a very different texture and taste.

Just like you can't compare grilled salmon and salmon sushi.

dcarch

Could they be beef back ribs? Those also can be braised for a long time @ lower temp. to become very tender.

Here's a page that describes the difference:

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/zen_of_beef_ribs.html

dcarch - I had never heard of "sous vide" cooking, so I did a search and read some interesting articles.

Questions...

What textural differences do you get from cooking meat for so long?
Is there a danger of bacterial growth at such low temperatures?
How do you get a true vacuum?
How do you know the meat is fully cooked?

fawnridge, "sous vide" is an unfortunate fancy name for a simple cooking method.

All it means is cooking at very low temperature and for as long as you want to, depending on recipes. It has nothing to do with vacuum nor pressure.

There is no way you can guarantee proper cooking temperature using normal methods, so most of the time you simply over cook to make sure of food safety.

Sous vide is using advanced electronic thermostatic control to guarantee cooking temperature to less than 1 degree. Electronic controls for this used to cost over $2,000 to $5,000. So only restaurants and food manufacturers could afford the equipments. Recently, you can buy the equipment for less than $200. This makes it a very popular appliance for many home cooks.

The fact that you can cook at precise temperature means you now can cook with better food safety. There are lots of information on the internet to guide you regarding temperature and cooking time to be safe.

Texture, short ribs sous vide cooked to medium edge to edge, yet fork tender is a new enjoyment.

How to you know the meat is fully cooked?

Another feature of sous vide. It is not possible to overcook or undercook. It is truly "set it forget it" I can cook a whole turkey directly from frozen to 100% cooked without having to check with a probe, no overcooking or undercooking, the entire bird.. No need to defrost for a week in the refrigerator and still not sure if the inside is fully cooked.

dcarch

Thank you all. Though the flavor was good, we didn’t care for how thin they
were after cooking, and they were not tender enough, though that was my fault
for being impatient and using them before I had full information. The slow
cooker would have been a better alternative. I won’t
be buying short ribs cut this way again. I’ll just hope to see the familiar cut
my Mom used. Our stores don’t tend to have interesting cuts, it’s just the same
old stuff over and over. But this didn’t work.

Interesting idea, deeebert, that it might have been meant for bulgogi. There
is a large Korean population here, though there are mega stores with meat
markets that cater to them, that doesn’t mean they don’t buy meat at mainsteam
stores as well.

It was flanken style ribs used for Bulgogi and LA Galbi you need a marinate that tenderizes and a short time in the grill. This is one of my favorite cuts but is different from your braised short rib expectation. If you want to try it again, there are some good recipes for LA Galbi which is my favorite