It’s summer (well, not really the hottest since lately there was more rain than sun 😀 ), and what’s good to do in summer? A nice grill in the garden, of course 🙂

So today we decided to make a grill, and since we had at home a very nice almost 3 Kg package of Angus beef ribs, well, it was really a perfect idea 😛

I’m not an expert of grill, at home my father is the one who always grills, but sometimes I like to do it too 🙂 let’s say I tried my best.

There are many ways to cook ribs, with different techniques and different “philosophies”: who prefers to slowly cook at lower temperatures, who likes the rubs, who prefer more simple flavors, etc.

Personally I prefer the simple flavor, so I choose carefully a good quality meat, and I let it rest just 1-2 hours with some good extra virgin olive oil, some rosemary, some sage and then just salt and a little pepper in the end…I just want the pure beef meat taste, and nothing else.

INGREDIENTS (6 people)

• 2,5/3 Kg of beef ribs (there are bones too! and they are quite heavy)
• 1 glass of extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 sprigs of rosemary
• some leaves of sage
• maybe some chili cut in slices
• coarse rock salt
• freshly ground black pepper

The first thing to do, if you have the meat in the freezer, take it out the day before. If your butcher didn’t do it then remove the hard membrane that is on the external bones: it’s quite easy, put your finger under and pull it out, it should come easily, otherwise help yourself with a knife.

Now take for example a baking dish, or something similar, and place the ribs inside. Put the oil on it and spread it on all the meat with your hands, you must do a nice “massage” to the ribs 🙂 then put the rosemary and the sage (and chili if you want), and let it rest about 1-2 hours, but meanwhile you can turn it a couple of times in the oil.

While the meat rests, we can start the fire 🙂 we need a good amount of embers, and hot red.

Once the embers are ready, we cover the bones’ side of the ribs with coarse salt, and then we place the ribs on the grill laying on the bones’ side. This will be the side on which they are gonna cook the longer time, about 30/35 minutes.

The ribs don’t need to stay close to the embers, so we can place them on a high level.

While cooking we keep spreading the olive oil on the meat, using the rosemary sprig as a brush.

After about 20/25 minutes I put other rock coarse salt also on the other side of the ribs (the one opposite to the embers). There is not an exact reason why, I just think it was the right time to do it 🙂

When the blood starts to appear on the surface (it happened after about 35 minutes from the start), then it’s time to turn the ribs on the other side, and we cook them for other 15/20 minutes, it should be enough. I don’t want to overcook them, I want them still a bit pink inside.

If needed, you can also cook them few minutes also on the vertical side, if the ribs are thick.

At this time, with a good knife we cut a piece of meat and we control how it is in the middle (or you can use a thermometer, if you prefer). If it’s how we wanted, then it’s ready 🙂

We put the ribs in an aluminium foil, and we let it rest 15 minutes at least.

You can serve the ribs with the vegetables that you prefer: potatoes, a tomato salad, a coleslaw, or with some sauce if you like.

For me, on the meat, it’s enough just a little bit of pepper, and maybe a drop of extra virgin olive oil. It’s all I need 🙂

For sure it’s not a masterpiece of technique and it’s improvable (it’s not an easy cut to cook), but trust me, it was really good! 😛

PS: and to make it even better, I suggest to drink a good red wine next to it! 🙂 cheers!

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Products used:

Beef: Angus from “Terra Pannonia”