If you’re looking for a unique, incredibly delicious meat dish, try this beef finger ribs recipe made with a teriyaki marinade.
Table of Contents
What are beef finger ribs
Beef fingers are boneless ribs that are cut from the rib primal of a cow (where the prime rib comes from). They’re a little challenging to find, but if you find them in your local grocery store, they’re a real treat.
When butchers create tomahawk ribeye steaks, they remove the strips of rib meat between the long tomahawk bones (the intercostal meat). These boneless rib strips are called beef fingers.
Before cooking the individual ribs, you’ll want to remove the cartilage, if it’s still attached, because it’s chewy and doesn’t break down.
The easiest way to enhance their big, beefy flavor is to marinate them for a couple of hours. By adding a little sugar to the marinade, there is no need to use barbecue sauce. The sugar will cook right in, giving similar results.
You can cook these ribs hot and fast on an outdoor grill like a ribeye steak. But for really tender ribs, I prefer slow cooking them at a low temperature over indirect heat. This allows the muscle fibers and marbling to break down.
Ingredients
In addition to the beef ribs, this recipe includes a simple BBQ teriyaki marinade.
- Pineapple Juice: One 6-ounce can is the perfect amount for this recipe.
- Soy Sauce: This provides both salty and umami flavor notes.
- White Vinegar: Break the sweetness with acidic white vinegar. This also helps tenderize the beef.
- Brown Sugar: Choose dark brown sugar for more richness.
- Garlic: Use roughly chopped fresh garlic. No need to fully mince it.
- Water, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper and Chili Flakes
Substitutions: I use gochugaru Korean chile flakes for this recipe. You can also use cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to cook beef finger ribs
- STEP ONE: To prepare the beef finger ribs, the first step is to remove them from the packaging and pat them dry with a paper towel. Then, using a sharp filet knife, carefully remove the hard cartilage layer on one side. You can leave the ribs long or cut them in half.
- STEP TWO: Place the trimmed beef rib meat in a large zip-top bag. Pour in the marinade ingredients. Remove the air from the bag. Seal and massage the liquid into the meat. Refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
- STEP THREE: After marinating, heat your grill or smoker to 250-275F degrees with an indirect heat zone. Remove the ribs from the bag and place ribs on the grill over indirect heat. Add wood chips or wood chunks at the start of the cook for smoky flavor.
How to set your grill up for indirect cooking
You can cook this recipe on a gas grill, charcoal grill, pellet grill or Ninja Grill. The key is to cook it over indirect heat. Set your grill up with a temperature of 250-275F degrees with an indirect heat zone.
Gas Grill: If you’re using a gas grill, leave one burner off and turn at least one burner on. Adjust the burner temperature, until the grill temperature gauge registers between 250-275F degrees. You’ll cook the ribs over the grill grate that has the burner turned off.
If you want to add smoke flavor, fill a smoke box or foil pouch with wood chips and add it to the hotter side of the grill.
Charcoal Grill: If you’re using a kettle-style charcoal grill, push the hot coals to one side. Place the grill grate over the coals and cook the ribs over the side where there are no coals. If you’re using a drum smoker or ceramic cooker, use the diffuser to block the direct heat.
Pellet Grill: Pellet grills are automatically set up with an indirect heat zone because they have a metal diffuser plate that rests over the fire pot. Simply, turn the grill to 275F degrees and let it heat up. Then, you can place the ribs anywhere on the grill.
Ninja Grill: The smoker setting on the Ninja Grill is engineered to provide indirect heat that circulates from the convection fan from the top. Simply add wood pellets and set the temperature and time.
- STEP FOUR: Cook until the internal temperature of the beef reaches 200-205F degrees. This will take around 3 hours.
PRO TIP: To measure the internal temperature of the ribs, place a digital meat thermometer in through the short end of the rib toward the center.
How to serve BBQ beef finger ribs
Once the BBQ ribs are tender, remove them from the grill. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Serve with a bowl of sticky white rice.
Plan of two ribs per person – or three to four if you cut the ribs in half.
The marinade in this recipe provides plenty of flavor and tender rib meat, but you can also enjoy these with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Storage
BBQ beef rib fingers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to six months.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Remove the cartilage from the ribs
- Marinate for 4-8 hours
- Cook to an internal temperature of 200-205F degrees
Frequently Asked Questions
Start at your local grocery store or butcher. If they’re not on the shelf, ask your butcher if they can special order cut 124A. If you’re placing a special order, you can even ask them to remove the costal cartilage for you.
For oven-baked ribs, follow the first two steps of this recipe. Then, place the boneless beef ribs on a rack on a lined rimmed baking sheet or cookie sheet. Bake in a 250F degree preheated oven, until the ribs are tender.
They are not cow fingers. The beef finger meat is actually sliced from between the rib bones on a cow. The boneless strips of beef are called fingers because they are long and narrow, resembling the shape of a finger.
More BBQ beef ribs recipes
- How to Smoke Short Plate Ribs (Dino Bones)
- Grilled Kalbi (Korean Short Rib Recipe)
- Smoked Beef Back Ribs
- Melt in Your Mouth Beef Short Ribs
- Grilled Tender Juicy Boneless Beef Ribs
What to serve with beef ribs
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BBQ Teriyaki Beef Rib Fingers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef finger ribs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 oz can pineapple juice
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Korean chile flakes
Instructions
- Trim: Using a sharp knife, remove the cartilage from each rib finger. Cut each rib in half.
- Marinate: Place the trimmed ribs in a large zip-top bag. Pour in the remaining ingredients. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Massage the marinade into the meat. Refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
- Grill: Heat your grill or smoker to 250-275F degrees with an indirect heat zone. Remove the ribs from the marinade. Place ribs on the grill over indirect heat. Cook until the internal temperature reaches around 203F degrees, which will take around 3 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
keep this up Christie! its real yummy!
Thanks!
Apart from the 6oz can of pineapple juice you have not posted any measures for the rest of the marinade. I am not a brave enough cook to simply toss stuff together.
Scroll to the bottom of the article. You’ll find all of the measurements there. Sorry for the confusion.