The general shape of a cow hasn’t changed since Creation. After a while though, it gets boring eating the same thing the same way millennium after millennium. So butchers and chefs have looked for new and inventive ways of preparing different cuts of meat to appeal to their discerning customers.
The most frequent question asked about cooking beef is probably, “How do I make a tough piece of meat tender?” followed by, “What can I make that’s interesting?”
Well, sharpen your knives and let’s try and tackle both questions at once.
First off, this is not my original idea. I saw this posted in a group I’m in on Facebook, and I immediately saw the potential in fabricating a #6 into boneless ribs because of how common a mock tender is in Israel. “Fabricating,” by the way, is the industry word for preparing meat, fish or poultry for retail sale or portions for service. Also, I would consider this method of fabrication as intermediate level, simply because filleting a piece of meat means cutting towards your other hand, which requires a fair bit of skill.
The Cleaned Mock Tender
Remove the silverskin and connective tissue from the outside of the cut.
Filleting the Mock Tender
Starting at the tip, slice the roast through the center laterally (along the side). Work slowly, in one direction, applying most of the pressure to the tip of the knife.
Feeling the Cut
With your other hand (remember, the pictures might be backwards; I'm left-handed) feel the pressure of the knife as it cuts through the meat. You don't want to slice through the other side, but you want to make your cut as deep as possible so the meat comes out flat.
The Open Fillet
Once you have finished filleting the meat from end to end, open it and slit any small fibers that still connect the two sides. Press down the meat to feel that it is lying as flat as possible.
Portioning the Ribs
Cut the fillet into cross sections about two fingers wide.
The Finished Ribs
When your're done, you should have enough meat for three to four people per fillet.
Once you’ve finished with the directions above, you can prepare it with your favorite recipe for ribs, bearing in mind that these are all lean (as a noun, it means the muscle of the meat vs. the fat), so you might want to add some fat to the recipe if you’re afraid they will dry out. I think they’re too dry for overnight cooking for Shabbat, and I’ll report back to you when I smoke a batch.