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    Home » Recipes » Grilling

    Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub

    Published: Sep 21, 2017 · Modified: Oct 17, 2022 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub Tower - Seasoning ribs on the bottom, grilling ribs on the top

    I’m a sucker for grilled short ribs. I saw these beauties in the meat case at my local grocery store - flanken cut beef short ribs, lined up in their trays - and I had to buy them. Had to, I tell you!

    Flanken style short ribs are the style used in Korean grilled beef short ribs, cut across the bone, about ¼-inch thick. I wasn’t in the mood for Korean, though; We had stir fry for dinner last night. I had a taste for something a little more American, so I went with… Smoked Spanish Paprika rub. (Yes, I know, not very American. Oh, well.)

    Beef short ribs on the grill, with some flareups in the background
    Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients to Make Short Ribs
    • 🥘 Substitutions
    • What Temperature Should I Use for this Recipe?
    • How to Grill Short Ribs
    • Tips for this Recipe
    • Side Dishes to Serve With Grilled Short Ribs
    • Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub
    • ☃️ Storage
    • What do you think?
    • Related Posts
    • 💬 Comments

    What does Flanken mean, anyhow? It’s derived from the Yiddish and German word for “flank”, because the ribs are cut from the flank of a side of beef. Flanken was a cheap cut, because short ribs are tough and chewy. Normally it takes long, slow cooking to tenderize it. (Don’t use a thick cut for grilled beef short ribs; save them for braises or barbecue.) But, if the short ribs are cut thin enough, against the grain of the meat, they become perfect for grilling, with a big beefy taste.

    Ingredients to Make Short Ribs

    • Beef Short Ribs, ½-inch thick, cross cut through the bones (aka "flanken cut")

    What Seasonings to Use 

    • Smoked Spanish paprika
    • Kosher salt
    • Garlic powder
    • Onion powder
    • Ground coriander
    • Ground cumin
    • Fresh Ground Black Pepper

    See recipe card for quantities

    🥘 Substitutions

    Can't find flanken-cut ribs? I find them at my local Whole Foods, or Mexican specialty market, or I go to the meat counter at my local grocery store and ask for them. (Cross cut ½-inch thick).

    Don't have smoked Spanish paprika? That's OK, use regular paprika instead.

    To simplify the rub, substitute a tablespoon of chili powder for the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. (Chili powder is a blend with a lot of those ingredients.)

    Should I Use Bone-in or Boneless Short Ribs?

    Use Flanken cut (that is, thin cut, across the bone, ¼-inch thick) bone-in beef short ribs for this short ribs recipe. I've never seen thin-cut boneless short ribs, but they would work in this recipe as written. The other good substitute is thin-cut beef chuck steaks - they also cook the same.

    What Temperature Should I Use for this Recipe?

    Set your grill up for direct medium heat, 350°F to 400°F, for grilled beef short ribs. On my gas grill, I set the burners to medium; on my charcoal grill, I spread a chimney of coals out in a tight single layer.

    How to Grill Short Ribs

    1. Season the ribs with the spice rub.
    2. Set up the grill for direct medium heat. Preheat a gas grill for at least 10 minutes with the burners set to medium, or light a chimney of charcoal and spread it out in a tight, single layer of coals.
    3. Cook the ribs for 8 minutes, or until they are browned and crispy but not burnt. I cook for 8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes, in a 2-2-2-2 pattern.
    4. Serve and enjoy!

    Tips for this Recipe

    • Short ribs are so thin that “doneness” doesn’t really come in to play. That’s fine; grilled beef short ribs are all about the crispy, spicy crust, and big beefy taste. Cook them until they’re well browned and don’t worry about medium-rare.

    Side Dishes to Serve With Grilled Short Ribs

    I like to grill vegetables as my side dish. I've already heated up the grill, so I want to put that extra heat to use. Grilled asparagus is my favorite, closely followed by grilled peppers and onions, or foil pouch grilled green beans.

    Print
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    Beef short ribs on the grill, with some flareups in the background

    Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub


    ★★★★★

    5 from 4 reviews

    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Total Time: 23 minutes
    • Yield: 3 pounds of ribs 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub. A short ribs recipe for thin-cut flanken style beef short ribs, grilled with an easy spice rub.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 pounds flanken-style short ribs (short ribs cut about ¼-inch thick across the bones)

    Spice Rub

    • 1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

    Instructions

    1. Sprinkle the ribs with the spice rub: Mix the spice rub ingredients until they are completely combined. Sprinkle the ribs with the rub until they are completely coated. (You may have some leftover rub - save it in a jar and use it next time.) Let the short ribs rest at room temperature while the grill preheats.
    2. Preheat the grill for direct medium heat: Set up the grill for direct cooking over medium heat. (about 350°F). On a gas grill: Preheat on high for 10 minutes, clean the grill grates with a grill brush, then turn the heat down to medium. On a charcoal grill: Light the coals and wait for them to be covered with gray ash. Spread in a single layer of coals over the charcoal grate. Put the grill grate on the grill, and clean with a grill brush.
    3. Cook ribs for 4 minutes a side: Set the short ribs on the grill over direct heat, and cook for about 4 minutes a side, until they are well browned. (I flip the short ribs in a 2-2-2-2 pattern. 2 minutes, flip, 2 minutes, flip and rotate 90 degrees to get a crosshatch of grill marks, 2 minutes, flip (still rotated), 2 minutes.) Remove ribs to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

    Equipment

    Weber Performer

    Weber Kettle

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    Weber Summit

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    Kitchen Tongs

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    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 8 minutes
    • Category: Weeknight Dinner
    • Method: Grilling
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: Grilled Short Ribs, Grilled Beef Short Ribs

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @DadCooksDinner on Instagram and hashtag it #DadCooksDinner

    ☃️ Storage

    You can store the grilled beef short ribs in the refrigerator for a few days, but they are obviously best hot off the grill. If I'm saving them, I cut away the bones, then thin slice the meat and use them in tacos. (Mmmm...tacos.) I don't recommend freezing the short ribs.

    What do you think?

    Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

    Related Posts

    Korean Grilled Short Ribs (Kalbi)
    Grilled Mexican Short Rib Tacos
    BBQ Beef Short Ribs on a Kettle Grill
    Instant Pot Spare Ribs
    Grilled Tomahawk Steak - Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared
    Grilled Thin Pork Chops
    My list of Grilling Recipes


    Thank you to my friends at Certified Angus Beef® Brand for sponsoring DadCooksDinner. Please check them out at hashtag #BestBeef for more beef recipes, and visit them at the Certified Angus Beef Kitchen Community on Facebook. Thank you!


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    Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub Tower - Seasoning ribs on the bottom, grilling ribs on the top
    Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Aaron Friedman says

      May 16, 2022 at 8:09 pm

      It reminds me of the Argentinian ribs in The BBQ Bible. I’m going to look that one up again.

      Reply
    2. P D Spencer says

      March 05, 2022 at 3:11 pm

      I let the ribs sit in the dry rub for six hours before cooking.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Chris says

      September 08, 2020 at 9:26 am

      Great recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Amy says

      August 09, 2020 at 8:24 pm

      This was a hit! The rub was absolutely fantastic! I have a Traeger so I ended up smoking/grilling at 375 for about 7 mins each side and they were fantastic!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        August 10, 2020 at 4:23 pm

        Ooh - smoking/grilling them sounds fantastic!

        Reply
    5. Anita says

      January 10, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      Hey Mike, thanks so much for posting this awesome recipe. I LOVE it!

      Reply
    6. douglas simon says

      September 05, 2019 at 9:12 pm

      thanks for sharing

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        September 08, 2019 at 10:20 am

        You're welcome!

        Reply

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