Memorial Day is quickly approaching, which means grilling season

Smoked Beef Short Ribs

Smoke-Grilled Lamb

Smoked Pork Meatballs

Taken from Cookston’s cookbook, “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room,” the below award-winning recipes for smoked beef short ribs, smoke-grilled rack of lamb, and smoked pork meatballs encompass optimal flavor! 

“Beef Short ribs are one of my favorite items- unctuous, tender and extremely beefy when cooked right.  They are an absolute crowd pleaser. I often think of short ribs as the most expensive piece of beef you can buy. Gone are the days when short ribs were like chicken wings- a “throw away cut” from the producers that they sold for pennies. Now, short ribs command a premium price.  When you consider the very poor yield you get from them due to the high fat levels, they are more expensive than filets.  However, beef short ribs are sometimes the only thing that will hit the spot!”

Smoked Beef Short Ribs

7-8 lbs Beef Short Ribs

1 tbs Olive Oil

4 tbs Grillin’ Shake

1/4 cup Beef Stock

1/4 cup BBQ Sauce

1. Prepare a smoker to run at 275 degrees. Or you can set up a grill to run on indirect heat by placing all the charcoal on one side and your meat over the other side. Remove ribs from wrapping and let come to room temp for about 30 minutes. 
2. Lightly coat the meat with olive oil, then sprinkle heavily with grillin’ shake. 
3. Place on smoker for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat has pulled back from the bones about 1″ (if using full pieces. If you are using cut short ribs, just look for when the meat has shrunk back from the bones on both sides and the meat looks about 20% smaller- this could be in as little as an hour. It’s ok, it’s going to taste great even if you miss this some!) 
4. Place the meat on a large piece of foil and add in 3-4 TBS of beef stock. Wrap fully and place back in smoker.
5. Continue to cook for 1-2 hours, or until meat is absolutely soft to the touch and the bones can be removed easily. I don’t cook them to quite the soft texture as when I braise them, but you can easily do this if you prefer. 
6. Slice and serve!

“Don’t you love it when a plan comes together!  I had been playing around with this Smoke-Grilled Aussie Rack of Lamb recipe for a while, but I recently made a couple of tweaks and it was if the universe nodded and gave me a big thumbs up!”

Smoke-Grilled Rack of Lamb

Rack of Lamb:

2 racks of lamb, frenched

2 tablespoons Memphis Barbecue Company Ultimate BBQ Rub

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup Memphis Barbecue Company Original BBQ Sauce

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, coarsely chopped

5 to 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon orange juice

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients. Place racks of lamb in a large resealable plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal tightly, pressing out as much air as possible, and marinate for 4-6 hours, turning the bags every 2 hours.
2. Prepare a grill for a 2-zone fire. As grill is heating, remove racks from marinade, discarding marinade. Pat racks dry, taking time to clean the frenched bones. Brush meat with mustard, then sprinkle with BBQ Rub. Cover bones with a piece of foil to ensure they don’t char, then allow racks to sit out of fridge for 30 minutes before placing on grill.
3. Place lamb on cooler part of the grill, using 1-2 chunks of cherry or pecan wood in the grill if possible. Allow to cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour (will depend on type of grill and temperature) or until internal temperature reaches 125 degrees. Place racks on hotter part of grill and sear, brushing with BBQ Sauce. Remove racks when temperature reaches 135-140 degrees.  This will give you a rack of lamb with medium doneness. Remove from grill, allow to rest, and slice between the bones to cut into chops.

“These delicious Smoked Pork Meatballs make a great appetizer or snack! I recently cooked these up on my Pit Boss K22 Ceramic Grill. I like them just a bit spicy, so I used a bit of hot sauce in the recipe and a spicy BBQ sauce to glaze them. However, feel free to adjust them as you like. In this recipe I also call for “BBQ Seasoning” and “BBQ Sauce.” Feel free to use your favorite types. You can also use my recipe for Sweet Memphis BBQ Rub.”

Smoked Pork Meatballs

2 lbs ground pork

2 TBS hot sauce adjust for taste

1 TBS BBQ Seasoning

2 TBS worcestershire sauce

2 TBS ketchup

1/3 cup finely diced yellow onion

1/4 cup finely diced poblano pepper

2 TBS panic bread crumbs

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup BBQ Sauce

1. In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients except BBQ Sauce. Mix thoroughly, then roll into 1.5-2 oz balls (depending on your preference.) Spray a round cookie sheet with non-stick spray, then place balls on sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Start smoker and heat to 250 degrees. Add cookie sheet to grill and cook for approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour. Check internal temperature of meatballs to ensure they have reached 165 degrees.
3. Remove meatballs from cookie sheet and place in a pan with at least a 1″ lip. Add sauce and gently roll meatballs to coat. Return to smoker for 10 minutes to allow BBQ sauce to “set.” Enjoy!

Feel free to use the recipes and photos below when you credit Melissa.