5 OF THE BEST
RIBS Vegans, you’re going to want to turn the page. Now they’re gone, Sally Coates finds five of the best ribs on the Coast
FIRE CUE 1/2243 GOLD COAST HWY, MERMAID BEACH
On Thursday nights, when they offer half a rack of tender, saucy ribs for $22 for beef or $25 for pork, chef and owner Adam DundasTaylor says Fire Cue can go through 50kg. “The first step in cooking our famous barbecue ribs is the marinating process,” he says. “We use a mixture of South American spices to marinate the ribs. This marinade is then sealed over charcoal on the grill. Once the ribs have been marinated and sealed, they are slow cooked in beef stock, with roast root vegetables and Mexican chillies. This is what gives them such an intensely juicy flavour. This slow cooking process takes roughly four and a half hours, then it’s back on the charcoal grill where they’re basted with an agave paste. While cooking on the grill the agave paste is reduced down to a glaze and goes crispy, almost like a skin.” The process may be lengthy, but Adam guarantees it’s worth it.
TRIBECA NYC 58 THOMAS DR, SURFERS PARADISE
As with all great recipes — looking at you, Colonel Sanders — you’ve got to keep your cards close to your chest. That’s just what Tribeca NYC’s Callan Ellis is doing. The new owner of the Chevron Island eatery gives credit to the founders for the recipe that keeps people coming back. “We do barbecue pork ribs, slow-cooked in a secret marinade for 16 hours, then it goes straight from the cooker to being prepped and on the plate.” On Wednesday Tribeca does its Brooklyn All-Star Pork Ribs for $19.95 with a side of slaw and fries.
MIKE’S KITCHEN 2 GOODING DR, MERRIMAC
Getting messy with a rack of Mike’s ribs is a Gold Coast rite of passage. The royal rack can be ordered as 500g or by the kilo and comes with a side of chips, a steak knife and a tonne of napkins. Being in operation for more than 20 years now, they’ve got their sauce down to a fine art, the ideal balance of sticky, tangy and sweet barbecue without overpowering the tender meat that falls off the bone. A few pieces of advice: always book — Mike’s packs out — add peri peri sauce if you’re after a kick; and don’t eat lunch that day.
BONDI GRILL’E 2/99 GRIFFITH ST, COOLANGATTA
Brazilian owner Junior Martinez says they are “very good with meat” in his home country, but he and his brother learned the art of ribs from further afield. “We worked in the biggest steakhouse in Sydney and learned the secrets. Our lamb ribs we sous vide and our beef and pork we slow-cook in water and check every hour to make sure they are tender, then place them in the fridge so they don’t break down easily. Next we grill them and apply our secret basting sauce. They are smoking hot when they get to the plate.”
BUFFALO SEARS 1A/1638 GOLD COAST HWY, BURLEIGH
Smokin’ barbecue isn’t just a business at Buffalo Sears, it’s a way of life. The team use hickory, mesquite, cherry, apple or peach wood for the smoky flavours you’ll taste in their ribs. The pork ribs feature a Jim Beam Bourbon glaze, hickory smoked for six hours, then chargrilled with a sticky bourbon glaze. Then there are the Nolan Farm premium beef short ribs prepared with the eatery’s signature rubs, then hickory-smoked for six hours. Both are $38 for a half rack or $68 for a full and come with generous sides.