Michelin Microwave is one of our favourite blogs. They’ve already done the definitive review of the Heston from Waitrose Smoked Barbecue Beef Ribs. But here’s our thoughts too…

We’re on another Waitrose binge at the moment! Today it’s a review of the Heston from Waitrose Smoked Barbecue Beef Ribs. The other day we reviewed two other Waitrose products: Heston from Waitrose Beetroot Spelt Risotto and Heston from Waitrose Earl Grey & Lemon Panna Cotta.

Consider both this, and that earlier post, as tributes to the exceptional Michelin Microwave. In their quest to test out celebrity-endorsed supermarket food they’ve posted some brilliant and hilarious articles. We insist you read their beautiful take-down of this Ainsley Harriot Pasta Bake. Or our favourite, a life-affirmingly entertaining review of the Michael Roux Thai Curry by Scratch.

Michelin Microwave have already posted the definitive review of these Heston from Waitrose Smoked Barbecue Beef Ribs.

I picked some up on my last trip to Altrincham Waitrose, where I trust I’m now recognised as “that weird guy with only Heston stuff in his basket” and, having shelled out over seven quid for the privilege, I was determined to get my moneys-worth by doing a quick review as well.

Product: Heston from Waitrose Smoked Beef Back Ribs

Price: £12.99 per kg (our pack was £7.17)

Availability: Very Good

THE PRODUCT

Glossy black box, firm card, all that.

Identical to that Heston from Waitrose Spruce smoked barbecue Pork Shoulder. This seems to feature the same mesquite rub and barbecue sauce. Identical presentation in vacuum packages of meat and separate barbecue sauce.

You’re meant to cook this in an oven or over the barbecue. But once again this went in the makeshift sous vide rig we got off ebay. Just for an hour at 60° this time, since we’d figured out that both meats are already fully cooked and just need heating through.

VERDICT

There’s not a lot we can say that Michelin Microwave haven’t already.

The rich, succulent ribs are wonderfully tender. The spice rub is a bit full on – it masks the taste of the beef a bit. But we guess that’s the whole point of serving smoked and spiced beef ribs instead of plain beef ribs.

I found the barbecue sauce more tolerable than Michelin Microwave did, but maybe because I heeded their advice and so only added a third of the sachet. I used all the succulent rib meat to make myself a sandwich inspired by the Hawksmoor Short Rib French Dip. It was magnificent.

But here’s the drawback: That tiny little Warburton’s bun there contains two-thirds of all the meat I was able to shred off the bones (yes, I finished the whole box, all 1,122 calories of it, by myself). In fact, desperate to bring something new to this review, I thought I’d weigh the pack before I cooked it, and then weight the empty package and bones after. Hopefully we’d see how much edible material you actually get for your £7.17.

The answer is 307 grammes. Now some of that was a thin juice & fat combo that you sometimes have to drain off food when it’s been cooked sous vide. Stuff that’d normally fall onto the coals or stick to the bottom of an oven tray.

Even so, seven-and-a-bit quid is an awful lot for 300g of meat. Flavour be damned, we’re talking fillet steak prices for one of the cheapest cuts of beef there is.

I can’t promise Heston’s Smoked Barbecue Beef Ribs are worth that price, but there’s no denying that a lot of that cost goes towards the multi-layered process of smoking and spice-rubbing the meat. As well as that questionable barbecue sauce. And it does make an outstanding sandwich.

 Have you tried Heston’s Barbecue Beef ribs, and do you think they’re worth the money? Tell us what you think in the comments section.