level of doneness I treat my short ribs much as I would a high-end Japanese Wagyu-style steak That is, whether you like your regular steaks rare or well-done, I very strongly suggest cooking your short ribs to medium-rare—about 130°F Any cooler than that, and the intramuscular fat will remain solid and waxy, rather than turning unctuous and juicy Much hotter, and the fat will start running out copiously, making your ribs tough and dry Short ribs cook best over a moderately hot, not blazinghot fire Like all things, fat has a tendency to burn when it gets too hot If you were to cook your ribs over an inferno, that dripping fat would vaporize, leaving a foul-tasting sooty deposit on the surface of your meat You want to have the short ribs cooked through to the center exactly when the exterior becomes deep brown and crusty They can also be cooked like a steak in a hot cast-iron pan I prefer my short ribs the Argentine way: seasoned with nothing but salt and served with chimichurri sauce Slicing and serving: Short ribs are a bit tougher than premium cuts of meat, so, once again, slicing thinly against the grain before serving (or instructing your diners to do so) is the way to go Trust me Once you’ve tried short ribs on the grill, you will never want to ruin them by braising them in the oven again Or at least not until winter comes Tri-Tip Steak If you’re not from Santa Maria, California, you may not have heard of tri-tip, the large, tender, triangular muscle cut from the bottom sirloin of a steer If you are from Santa Maria, you can bet your bowl of pinquito beans that you’ve had more than your share of the cut It’s the primary cut used for Santa Maria–style barbecue, a regional barbecue style that’s not well known outside of central California and that, by some standards, wouldn’t qualify as “real” barbecue at all See, Santa Maria–style barbecue is technically a fast-cooking method—that is, the meat is cooked over an open pit burning with red oak just ... have heard of tri-tip, the large, tender, triangular muscle cut from the bottom sirloin of a steer If you are from Santa Maria, you can bet your bowl of pinquito beans that you’ve had more than your share of the cut... qualify as “real” barbecue at all See, Santa Maria–style barbecue is technically a fast -cooking method—that is, the meat is cooked over an open pit burning with red oak just ... Maria, you can bet your bowl of pinquito beans that you’ve had more than your share of the cut It’s the primary cut used for Santa Maria–style barbecue, a regional barbecue style that’s not well known