Smoked Beef Ribs
Smoked Beef Ribs have become a very popular recipe over the past few years. So popular, in fact, that if you see a platter of smoked meat, you are likely to see some beautifully smoked beef ribs front and center! It’s about time, too. These babies are so tasty; if you love beef, you are going to love this smoking recipe!
And if you are going to serve beef ribs you have to have some tasty side dishes! Check out this fantastic Grilled Panzanella Salad. It pairs perfectly with the smoky flavor of these ribs!
Honestly, the best way to cook beef ribs like this is to smoke them; if you have beef short ribs, you can also braise them. These are not inexpensive cuts of meat, so you definitely want to take your time, in this case, hours. Low temp and cooked slowly is the style that produces the best results. It takes a long time, but the results are amazing!
How long does it take to smoke a rack of beef ribs?
How long does it take to smoke a rack of beef ribs? A great question! In fact, this is often where people get off track when smoking a side of ribs. It’s not necessarily about the exact time, it’s about the internal temperature. As with any smoked beef roast, boneless or not, pork ribs or beef, back or side ribs you have to cook them to the correct internal temperature, not a specific time.
Your best friend when smoking meats is an instant-read thermometer. I have a couple of different ThermoWorks probes and they all work great!
How do you prepare beef ribs for smoking?
How do you prepare beef ribs for smoking? The first thing I like to do is remove the membrane. You can leave it on if you like but I find the ribs absorb the smoke and rub flavours better with the membrane removed. The easiest way to do this is to use a paper towel. You can use a small knife to lift the membrane, grip it with the paper towel, and with steady pressure pull the membrane off, re-gripping as needed until it has all been removed.
Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F so it is ready to go. Next up, your dry rub. Combine paprika, chili powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cover your ribs, use as much or as little as you like, but make sure you do both sides of the ribs.
Place your rack of ribs in the smoker with the bone side down. I like to use a combination of hickory and applewood chips for bbq beef ribs. You are going to want to smoke the ribs for 4 – 5 hours, but remember it’s the internal temperature that is the most important thing.
Ingredients
- 1 rack of beef ribs
- paprika
- chili powder
- brown sugar
- black pepper
- cayenne pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- kosher salt
How do I know when the ribs are done?
Your ribs will be done when the internal temperature reaches 200 – 203 degrees F. Insert your instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, making sure you avoid touching any part of the bone. Once they reach this temperature the meat will be tender and will pull away from the bone with very little effort. You don’t want your meat to “fall off the bone” it should come off with a very gentle pull.
Make sure that you allow your ribs to rest for 20 – 30 minutes before you cut them up and serve them. Some ribs recipes ask you to wrap the ribs in butcher paper for the last hour or so in your smoker, or once they are done when they are resting.
I know this is something that is recommended for beef brisket as it can dry out because it is in the smoker for so long. I’m not sure it is necessary for beef ribs, but I will leave it up to you if you would like to do this with your ribs.
I like to serve my ribs with a dish of bbq sauce on the side. Some people like to dip the meat into the sauce. I have also been asked if I had any hot sauce when I served up my ribs, so be prepared to serve yours with a few condiments, it all depends on who you are serving!
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Smoked Beef Ribs
Ingredients
- A full rack of beef ribs
- 1/8 cup paprika
- 1/8 cup chili powder
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp each of black pepper cayenne pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F
- Take the rack of ribs and lay them flat with the concave side up. Using a sharp knife starting at one end work to peel back a small portion of the membrane that runs the length of the rack of ribs.
- Using a paper towel, grip the membrane, and using firm steady pressure pull back to remove the membrane from the rack of ribs, re-gripping as needed.
- In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients and sprinkle on both sides of the rack of ribs, making sure to cover the entire rack.
- Place the rack into the prepared smoker with the meaty side up.
- Smoke using a mixture of hickory and applewood chips for 4-5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 200 - 203 degrees F.
- Once the ribs are done remove them from the smoker and allow them to rest for 20 - 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Serve with a small bowl of your favorite BBQ sauce for dipping.
Most beef rib recipes dont call for removal of the back membrane..for pork ribs yes you should. Can you elaborate on why your recipe calls for removing the membrane on your smoked beef ribs recipe..thanks in advance
I find the membrane to be tough when you bite into the ribs, it blocks the smoke and flavours of the rub from penetrating the beef ribs, plus no matter how long you cook your ribs the membrane will never soften. I know there are 2 schools of thought on this but I personally like to remove it. Perhaps I should re-word my comments to say that I prefer to remove the membrane rather than saying you have to. Thanks for your comment.
These ribs were delicious