Beef Ribs in OKC

[Bigrayok]

On another web site I frequent, someone asked where can you get beef ribs at a BBQ in OKC? The only place we could come up with is County Line BBQ. Anyone know of other BBQ's in the OKC area one can get beef ribs?

Bigray in Ok

[PennyQuilts]

Oh no, Bigray, you need to stop hanging out with beef rib eaters! You can do better than that!

[Roadhawg]

oh no, bigray, you need to stop hanging out with beef rib eaters! You can do better than that!

lol

[tburn]

County Line BBQ is the only place I've found them.

They are so huge! feels very "Flintstone"-ish to eat them!
we bring the bone back to our dog.

[metro]

Rib Crib.............

[Bigrayok]

I called two different Rib Cribs in Oklahoma City and was told they do not serve beef ribs at Rib Crib. They said people ask for them all of the time but they only serve pork ribs. Too bad, with all of the Rib Crib locations, they could possibly get a lot of business for beef ribs.

Bigray in Ok

[Mballard85]

County Line BBQ does serve beef ribs. But I will say this they are not very good anymore. I worked there for 5 years and the quality went down hill just about every year. The ribs have become very fatty and tough.

[Martin]

i believe steve's rib serves them.

-M

[Bigrayok]

I just called the Steve's Rib on Hefner and Rockwell and the person I talked to said they only sell pork ribs. It is hard to believe there is only one BBQ in OKC selling beef ribs but County Line is the only one I have come up with so far.

Bigray in Ok

[Martin]

crazy... coulda sworn i had beef ribs from steve's a couple years ago at my uncle's house. -M

[FoodFuser]

Giving the thread a bump after two years. Has anyone found beef ribs?

[FoodFuser]

Though hard to abandon the quest for the beef ribs,
it seems we have none done by resto's in the city.
Thank God for the grill in the backyard.

An Ode, and Lament, to the absence of Beef Ribs:

In earlier days we had bounteous stockyards
with stout smell reminiscent
of the steers on the hoof.

Earlier still, just west of us,
was the crossing of Chisolm Trail,
where cattle were driven with dust
to railheads farther north,
for meat for the East.

Perhaps we should keep it a secret,
that here OKC, we only eat ribbies
from the more diminutive piggies,
even begiven our history of beef.

[Joe Kimball]

Years back, it seems I remember that you couldn't get away from beef ribs. Pork were rare in comparison, to my recollection. The tables have apparently turned.

[RadicalModerate]

Years back, it seems I remember that you couldn't get away from beef ribs. Pork were rare in comparison, to my recollection. The tables have apparently turned.

I don't know how long ago you are referring to, but the only BBQ place I ever (accidentally) had beef ribs was at the County Line (maybe back in the 80's) and only because I didn't look at the menu close enough when ordering. I can still recall how surprised I was when these massive--and sorry to say, tough--things arrived on my plate.

I also remember how the potato salad that day featured extremely undercooked potato chunks. (And I prefer chunky potato salad to the other kind, it's just that the potatoes need to be fork tender instead of knife dulling.)

[ctchandler]

I have to agree with RadicalModerate, the only beef ribs I ever had were at the County Line and like RM, I didn't look at the menu close enough. I didn't care for them. FreeWon't, I'm 68+, I have been to most if not all of the barbecue restaurants in the OKC area (although not many in the Mid/Del area) so I am curious what restaurants you can name that had them. I don't disagree that you had them, I'm simply curious how I missed them. Since I was not a fan of the County Line, I may not have had the best beef ribs in town. Also, how about Texas? They are big on beef and I haven't noticed beef ribs in the few (less than 20) bbq restaurants that I have eaten at. I would be interested in trying them again at a good bbq store.
C. T.

[SoonerDave]

The toughness of beef ribs is one of the reasons (I think) that you don't see them anymore. They're very, very hard to cook properly. They're so much thicker than pork ribs that they require more cooking time, and even if you go "lo-and-slo" you risk getting the exterior portion tough and the interior undercooked, and undercooked ribs are (IMHO) nasty.

In its heyday back in the late 70's/early 80's, Oklahoma Line (and I use that name deliberately) had broken the code on beef ribs. I don't know how they did it, but they did - they had a wonderful, fall-off-the-bone beef rib that was my favorite. And I'm reasonably sure their meat was all smoked on-site back then. For years it was my birthday dinner - heck, our whole family used to meet there, and it was a special occasion...

...Then, one day, roughly after they'd become affiliated with "County Line," everything changed - for the worse. No more homemade bread, the place wasn't maintained, everything started deteriorating, and the beef ribs were no exception. My family got tired of going there, and frankly, so did I, because the ribs were tough, the potato salad was awful, and the coleslaw was never much to write home about in the best of times. And that doesn't even begin to mention how the smoked chicken had become inedible, which my aunt and uncle always got and previously enjoyed. It was consistent - everything went in the toilet at just about the same time.

Our office group had a get-together at County Line three or four years ago, and I was hoping against hope things were better, but they weren't. The place was a shambles, clearly unkempt, and the meeting room where they served us wasn't ready for a group. And the food was just terrible. I knew that was the end for what I had enjoyed so much over the years. It had gone from something supremely special to something, frankly, pretty bad.

I know some of the really tacky BBQ places use freeze-dried vacu-formed ribs precooked and shipped in from heaven-knows-where, presumably reheated or nuked or something equally ghastly. There was some BBQ chain place on Memorial that did this, and they were roundly scorched in local reviews and didn't last six months...

Sorry for the digression, didn't mean to hijack the thread with a wave of sentimentality. Wish somewhere was willing to give beef ribs another try. When done right, they're awesome. Nothing against regular pork spare ribs, but beef ribs can be a special treat.

[Corndog1]

Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas, only on Wed. Its fantastic. It tastes like brisket on a bone, amazing.

[Joe Kimball]

I'm recalling Mr. T's in Spencer had them, back in the early 1990s. There's at least one other place, but I forget where.

[metro]

Had some from Swadleys last week, excellent.

[FoodFuser]

Had some from Swadleys last week, excellent.

Just called the Swadley's in Bethany, and they said they don't have them. Which location did you go to?

[metro]

I'm not sure, a relative picked them up. They sure weren't pork ribs.

[FoodFuser]

I'm not sure, a relative picked them up. They sure weren't pork ribs.

Could you please follow up on that, as to location? Thanks.

[FoodFuser]

...Where beef is drawn back with slow cooking, giving show to the skeletal costas...

Shame to our city that we have no beef ribs. Might this be matter for mayor?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/...761602a114.jpg

[LowRyter]

beef ribs need to be slow smoked and NO BBQ SAUCE! use only steak rub like Monreal seasoning.

BBQ rub & sauce is for pork only!

[OKCRT]

The last time I ordered at Jacks on 39th & Meridian I think they were beef. Huge ribs. I don't care for beef ribs myself and didn't like them but you might call them and ask.