What Grocery Stores Won't Tell You About Buying Beef Short Ribs

Grocery store meat cases can make short ribs look simple and easy to grab, the manageably small pieces sitting tidily in rows. But those little racks are actually the ones to avoid. Scott Thomas of The Grillin' Fools — St. Louis's "backyard BBQ guys who just happen to have cameras and a website" — explains that when you're trying to discern the best pack of beef short ribs to bring home from the local grocer, there's only one thing to look for. "The obvious answer is find good marbling, but the less obvious answer is buy the big racks," Thomas explains. In this case, bigger is definitely better.

Short ribs are a cut taken from the rib section lower down on the cow, which means they already have large bones running through them. Once cooked, water and fat render out, shrinking the meat significantly. When you start with a small piece, you may end up with almost nothing left by the time you're plating. As Thomas notes, "The smaller ones can melt away to nothing but giant bones with a few bites of meat." Larger racks, on the other hand, have enough meat to stay substantial even after hours of slow cooking. They also give you more consistent thickness, which makes braising or smoking more predictable and less prone to drying out.

That's why grabbing a neat little package of short ribs can be such a letdown. You think you're buying dinner, but you're mostly buying bone. Bigger racks are worth the freezer space, offering a better yield, better texture, and the payoff of a cut that's made for long, flavorful cooking.

Thomas is also right that marbling is the most obvious sign of good beef. Thin white streaks of fat running through the meat are what melt during cooking, basting the meat from the inside and keeping every bite tender. Thomas also points out that bones are just as important for flavor. "The benefits of the bone in short ribs is presentation, for one," he adds. "And I believe the meat right next to the bone is usually tastier than meat far from the bones."

Bones hold marrow and connective tissue rich in collagen. During braising, that collagen breaks down into gelatin, which seeps into the meat nearby, creating a silky texture and deeper flavor. The bone also helps regulate heat transfer, slowing the rate at which the meat cooks and protecting it from drying out. That's why the strip of meat hugging a rib often tastes more succulent than the muscle farther away.

What bones bring to cooked meat is celebrated around the world, in delicious Korean galbi grilled on the bone, in French pot-au-feu with ribs simmered in broth, and in American barbecue short ribs smoked low and slow until the meat slips off. In every tradition, the bone is part of the flavor system.

If you're shopping for short ribs, the best strategy is to think bigger. Skip the small pre-cut trays, and ask the butcher for a larger rack. Look for thick layers of meat on top of the bone, good marbling throughout, and uniform cuts that will cook evenly. Buying a whole rack can seem like a lot, but short ribs freeze well, and having them on hand means you can braise, grill, or smoke at any time without another trip to the store. You can also toss a few into any type of classic pot roast situation, because they will add richness and flavor to anything cooked long enough.

Stores often portion ribs into smaller packs, probably because they look neater and sell faster. But what works for merchandising doesn't necessarily work in your kitchen. Picking a larger rack is smart shopping, because it ensures you're paying for actual meat instead of mostly bone, and it's smart cooking, because it gives you more control over how you cut and cook it.

Bone-in short ribs bring flavor, structure, and presence to the plate, while unsliced racks deliver the yield that makes slow cooking worth the effort. Following Thomas' advice means fewer disappointments, more meat for your money, and dishes that live up to the cut's succulent, fall-off-the-bone reputation. Once you've tasted a beer-braised short rib that still has that meaty heft, fork tender and bathed in a rich sauce, the appeal of those tidy little packages will disappear fast.