smoked beef ribs

Smoked Beef Ribs Recipe

Smoked Beef Ribs Recipe

Several people have sent in request for a recipe for Smoked Beef Ribs, so in this week’s newsletter I’m going to share with you my way of cooking them. Pork rules in my part of the country, but you can usually find beef ribs in meat department. Also, you can ask your local butcher to source them for you. Smoked Beef Ribs come in a couple of ways… the short rib and back ribs. The short ribs usually come in smaller individual pieces and have a good bit of meat on top of the bone. You see these ribs served in restaurants usually braised for hours where the meat has time to really break down. The back ribs are more suited for bbq, so that’s what I’m cooking today. Beef Back Ribs are cut off the ribeye area so most of the meat on top of the bones has been removed but what’s left between the bones is really good meat, if you cook it low and slow. Smoked Beef Ribs come in slabs about 9-10 bones. There’s not much trimming to do to these ribs but if you see any cartilage or thick sinew go ahead and trim it off. On the back side you’ll notice a membrane. Back ribs have a double membrane. The first one is usually removed before packaging and that leaves a thin membrane holding the slab together. Leave this membrane on to keep the slab from falling apart during the cooking process. Smoked Beef Ribs My method for Smoked Beef Ribs is similar to the way I do pork ribs except for the sweet element. For me beef should be savory not sweet, so I leave out the brown sugar, honey, and bbq sauce. The first step is to give the beef ribs a light coating of oil. You can use canola, olive, or vegetable oil here. It doesn’t really matter; you just want something to bind the seasonings to the meat. Smoked Beef Ribs As a base layer I use my AP rub. It’s a mixture of 1 part salt, ½ part granulated garlic, and ¼ part black pepper. For the next layer use a bbq rub that goes with beef. It should be something balanced not too sweet. I used a new brisket rub that I’ve been developing but you can experiment here with different flavors. The smoking process is the same as ribs. Fire up your cooker to 235 degrees and add a little pecan for smoke. I used my Yoder with BBQr’s Delight pellets but any smoker will do the trick. Smoked Beef Ribs Place the Smoked Beef Ribs on the cooker and let them smoke for 3 hours or until the outside is a dark mahogany color. At this stage they’re ready to wrap. Smoked Beef Ribs For the Smoked Beef Ribs wrap I melted ½ stick of butter in a small bowl and whisked in a ½ tsp of Garlic, Dried Parsley, and Minced Onion. To this mixture add 2oz of Worcestershire, 2oz Soy Sauce, and 2 oz Beef Broth. Place the ribs meat side down on a strip of aluminum foil and pour ½ of the butter mixture over the ribs. Wrap the foil over the ribs and repeat the same process for the other slab. Smoked Beef Ribs Now the Smoked Beef Ribs go back on the smoker to tenderize. This is where the remainder of the fat breaks down and what is left is tender, juicy meat. The wrap process takes about 2 more hours, but I start checking after an hour just to see if they’re getting close. You should see the meat pulling back from the bones. If you grab a bone and slightly twist it should almost come free. Once the Smoked Beef Ribs hit this stage they’re done. Remove them from the cooker and let them rest for 20 minutes. If you want to sauce the ribs, you can drain the liquid from the foil and separate the fat. You can mix this liquid with a tablespoon of bbq sauce and brush it back over the ribs, but I like them straight out of the foil. Smoked Beef Ribs Smoked Beef Ribs cooked low and slow are very tender and moist. The fat that has rendered during the cooking process runs throughout the meat and adds a ton of flavor. There may not be a lot of meat on the bones, but what is left will melt in your mouth. If you’ve never tried ribs this way, give it a shot. Malcom Reed Connect on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to my YouTube Channel Find me on Google+ Follow me on Instagram Buy Killer Hogs Products Here Smoked Beef Ribs

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11 responses to “Smoked Beef Ribs Recipe”

  1. H. Kent Hepworth says:

    Hi Malcom,
    I love your presentation style and follow your recipes closely.
    I am a Yoder Pellet [Yoder YS640 with Pecan and Cherry Peppers (still 80% oak), and stick Burner (Yoder Cheyenne, Oak, Hickory and Maple).
    It has been some time since you have used your Yoder YS480 pellet smoker. I realize your techniques are transferrable (as you state) to other smokers/grills than the one used. However, since I am principally a pellet smoker I really am appreciative when you are using the same type smoker use. Please, use your Yoder YS480 in some of your future smoking YouTube videos.

  2. Larry Thorne says:

    Made your recipe using my PiTBoss 700sc I used my rub I make , marinated for 3 hours. Smoked at 235 for 3 hours and then wrapped with the sauce on then. Back on my smoker for 2 hours and then rested for 30 minutes. They were awesome , so tender and juicy! Did not use and Bbg sauce.

  3. Larry Tudor says:

    Hey Malcom, I have used your expertise in my 5 years of cooking on both my pellet grill and offset smoker but was wondering if you have ever cooked whole racks of chuck short ribs. That’s assuming you smoke them differently than back ribs. would appreciate your professional input and GREAT products and thank you also for all your help through the years.

  4. Evan says:

    As a base layer I use my AP rub. It’s a mixture of 1 part salt, ½ part granulated garlic, and ¼ part black pepper.

    What are the equivalents when you state “parts”…..is it cups?

  5. Bill Corum says:

    I made this yesterday. I didn’t have exactly what Malcom called for but au jus worked great! Trickiest part was my butcher had the ribs all cut separate. Next time I will wrap them all OFF the grill. Great recipe like always!

  6. Chris Formo says:

    Hi Malcolm, I did this recipe a month ago, and it made me fall in love with beef ribs! When I’ve used other recipes, they didn’t provide the superb final product that your recipe gives. Even my wife, who doesn’t like ribs because of the fat, loved your beef ribs! I plan to do this recipe again for a group of friends at my mountain cabin, soon. I don’t have a smoker at the cabin, so I am going to smoke the ribs before I head to the mountains. My question to you is, should I go ahead do the complete cook at home on the smoker, or can I smoke at home and do the wrap in the oven or gas grill when I’m ready to serve my guests? What do you recommend?

    • Malcom Reed says:

      I would fully cook them at home, allow to cool and vacuum seal them or place in a freezer bag. I would reheat them in the sealed bag with hot water. Maybe add a little butter before vacuum sealing to add a little extra flavor. Thats how we reheat all of our bbq.

  7. Matthew says:

    In this recipe, do you use a water pan during the cooking process before you wrap them or is it just completely dry heat with smoke?

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