Bison Short Rib Quesadillas | Wild Table

An easy family dinner with some slow cooked protein goes a long way in my household. Bison short ribs can honestly be served on their own, however, if you want kids to eat them, adding cheese is a good start. These short ribs pair great as the meat in a quesadilla and there won’t be any leftovers to put away. Bison Short Rib Quesadillas are a favorite at my house.

You can use whichever rubs, sauce, or olive oil substitutes you prefer but below is a list of what I used. 

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 6lbs of Bison Short ribs
• Mustard
• Heath Riles Garlic Butter Rub
• Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub
• Stick of unsalted butter
• Beef broth
• Mexican Cheese
• Flour tortillas
• Your preferred add-ons (Salsa, sour cream, etc.)

Instructions

STEP 1:  

Start by removing the membrane from the bone side of the ribs. I use the tip of my knife until I can grab that piece with a paper towel and rip the whole thing off. Next, start applying the mustard to the short ribs as a binder. I use just enough to coat the entire rib. After that, apply the rubs on all sides, I used Heath Riles Garlic butter rub and Killer Hogs TX Brisket rub. Next is to let those flavors soak into the meat and start the smoker.

STEP 2:

Preheat smoker to 225 degrees. This cook was done on my Ironwood 885 Traeger with Traeger Signature pellets and the super smoke setting. If using a traditional smoker I’d recommend hickory, cherry, or mesquite. When ready, individually place each rib on the grates about 1-2inches apart bone side down. You’re going to want to sprits them with a bottle of 50% beef broth and 50% water every hour for the next 2-3 hours. The goal is to do that until they reach about 165 internal temp. This will create an amazing bark that is going to make your bison short rib quesadillas a future family favorite. 

STEP 3: 

When the ribs hit 165 internal temperatures, to make the cook go a little faster, I like to wrap them all together in butcher paper. Place them on the butcher paper, then cut the butter in 1/4in squares and place half a stick of butter with them in the butcher paper. This same step can be done with a covered foil pan if needed. Place the ribs back on the smoker and turn the heat up 250 degrees. The ribs should be at an internal temperature of 205 when they are done and ready for the next step. 

STEP 4:

Once the ribs are reading at 205 degrees internal, pull them from the smoker and they should be done after resting for 30 minutes. They can be enjoyed as-is but for a family dinner, we’re going to make them into quesadillas. For this step, you can use a pan, but I’ll be using my outdoor Blackstone Griddle. It’s as simple as tortilla, meat, and cheese. After the ribs have rested, I like to rip the meat off all the bones and put into a bowl to make the next step easier.

STEP 5:

Place the tortilla on a low heat, griddle or pan, and after about 15 seconds, flip over to the other side. Next, add the cheese and meat to one side of the tortilla and then fold in half. After about a minute, the tortilla should start to get crispy, flip and repeat on the other side. Overall, you’re just wanting the tortilla to crisp up which shouldn’t be longer than 2-3 minutes for each tortilla. The Blackstone Griddle helps to do multiple of these at once, see my Linktree for discount on products. When the tortilla is crisp to your liking, slice and serve. I like to pair mine with sour cream and salsa but either way, these bison short rib quesadillas don’t last long. Enjoy!

Like this recipe for bison short rib quesadillas? See more from James Sanders:

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