I was going to smoke these tomorrow. I'm kind of a rookie, but have done pork ribs a few times. My plan was to rub them down, smoke about 4 hours at 225. Then finish on the grill with BBQ sauce. Will this work for the beef ribs too, they are not very thick. Or, tell me what will turn out better. Thanks in advance.
by Fishboy9123
27 Comments
I treat them like brisket tbh
I don’t wrap pork ribs but I do beef ribs. I think they need a wrap to tender them up a little bit but otherwise ya like pork ribs.
I’m not a pro either, but 4 hours at 225 doesn’t sound like enough to me for pork or beef ribs. Several factors of course, but I’d plan for 6ish to really get the fat rendered.
225F, don’t even open to check them for the first 6 hours. You are aiming for ~200F internal, but they are hard to keep a probe in, so just check at 6 hours and go by feel. You want the probe to slide through easily. Don’t bother with spraying every few hours or anything, just fuck off for 6 hours and come back to a treat.
You will get way less meat, but what you get is amazing. Like that beef rack is probably not a third of the meat as the pork ribs beside them. I usually do twice what I would for pork ribs.
For my money, its the best bite in BBQ though. If you talk to a butcher or meat counter, or if you live in Texas, you can get plate ribs, which are the first 3-4 ribs and they leave a lot of meat on them.
I’d finish them on the smoker. Just smoke until the meat pulls away from the bone. Beef or pork, that’s how you know they’re done. And beef ribs kick pork ribs around. They’re just better
Sure why not
Yes you can treat them the same. People saying they are a different meat and need to be treated differently are wrong. You treat pork shoulder and brisket basically the same. These look like beef rack ribs. They are about the same thickness as pork ribs. I do mine just like pork ribs and they always turn out great. My family actually prefers these to pork ribs.
Enjoy your $4.49 /lb tallow and bone
When I smoke beef ribs, I spend a good amount of time taking the rubbery membrane and veins off. When ready for the wrap, I wrap in butcher paper with a very flavourful beef broth and finish with a super quick char to crisp up the fatty bits. Sometimes I baste in the finishing phase.
I imagine the fat will break down more like brisket, pork ribs are more like pork shoulder
The beef bones will take longer. I’ve made this mistake before, did them the same as pork spare ribs, and 5 hours was nowhere near enough. I’d aim for more like 8 on the beef bones
The longer you can cook them the better. Apx 8 hours is fairly standard for beef ribs. It’s more like brisket than pork ribs really. They should “wiggle” when you shake them, showing that they have loosened up. You want an internal temperature of about 200, not past 205.
I do 3 hours smoking then 2 hours in butcher paper. Such a treat
So I buy these often at Costco as well. Beef back ribs. Not sure if other posters are familiar with them (specifically from Costco) but they are very thin and much less meat than the pork ribs. Lots of flavor. 4hrs is fine but definitely wrap if going longer bc it can dry out based on its thinness. My family prefers beef over pork ribs.
Why are these ribs 2 years old?
I just use salt, pepper and a little Worcestershire. Cook them until 205 unwrapped and serve dry. (No sauce on beef at this house.). I use a cheap offset, and temp control is more of a suggestion. But it tends to hover around 275 ish, which means a beef rack is usually done in 5-6 hours. Though again, time takes a back seat to temp. Cherry wood is my go-to.
So tender and flavourful. I just… I get excited about beef ribs. These are absolutely my favorite thing in the BBQ world.
I did them side by side last week and there were some really good bites on the beef back ribs but I would do short ribs next time for sure.
I mean yeah you can use the same rub and 225-275 F temp, same wood. Beef back ribs can take a little longer than pork ribs. I don’t wrap or spiritz. Some people only want salt and pepper on beef. That’s up to you.
The first thing i smoked on charcoal were beef back ribs. Less meaty than other beef ribs but still awesome.
I was surprised how easy it was. 225 for about 5-6 hours was plenty for me. Simple rub. Great bark and no need to finish on the grill imo
It’s got some meat but not as much as plate ribs so I don’t like too much smoke on mine. I usually toss on a pellet for these at 250 for about 6 hours, give or take. I score the back to release the fat. Simple SPG, it’s one of my favorite “quick” beef bbq. Quicker than plate or brisket.
My beef ribs are normally 6-8 hours of smoke unwrapped. You really need to render them out and they can take a stronger smoke well. Oak works well, but feel free to experiment. I like pecan for most cooks
The membrane on beef ribs probably better left on, they tend to fall apart without it
Don’t overthink it. I just do salt and pepper, cook em until they’re tender. No wrap or anything.
Remember, time does not dictate when they’re done. Tenderness does. When you think they’re close, stick a probe in the biggest section. If it goes in easy, they’re done.
They’ll shrink up on the bone too.
225 will take longer. 275 will be shorter cook time.
They’re easy, don’t worry.
https://preview.redd.it/67yo9uhmbj2f1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c09c649080164c2db964a7ffe6872badddf2d660
Why not? I did.
You will treat them like a brisket, not like a rack of pork ribs
Beef back and St. Louis have the same cook time. I have smoked literal tons of both and went 225 for ~ 6 hours going back close to 20 years. Started doing 275 at ~ 4 hours and am much happier. That two hours is a massive timer saver.
I make beef back ribs (from Costco) often. Probably over 50x by now. They’re pretty easy, and as others have said, extremely tasty.
If time is not a concern I’ll let them go for 7 hours between 250-275. I’ll start checking after about 2-3 hours and spritz if needed, but these honestly are pretty good at set and forget. I’ve done them enough that I don’t need to probe them or check temps. In my WSM, as long as the ambient temp stays around 250-275 the ribs are ready to go after 7 hours and succulent.
If you need to have them done within 6 hours, pull them after 4.5-5 hours and wrap them for the last 1-1.5 hours. I’ve done this plenty of times as well and they come out great. I prefer to just let them go unwrapped for 7 hours, but if you need to have them done a bit sooner, wrapping them to speed it up doesn’t negatively impact them much.
I made these but party rib the other day. Took about 2.5 hours at 275