These smoked beef short ribs are amazing. The flavorful crust will dance on your tongue as the slow-smoked buttery meat melts in your mouth. Show
4.14 from 115 votes Recipe Subscribe 471 shares By Christie Vanover | Published February 24, 2017 | Last Updated June 4, 2022 When you start with beautifully marbled meat, there’s not much else you need to do to develop a delicious meal. Beef short ribs are such a sought after treat because when cooked properly, the meat just melts like butter.
The rub in this smoked beef short ribs recipe is a simple mix of my award-winning Brisket Rub and a garlic forward rub from my friend Adam McKenzie from This Jew Can Que. The two combined create a nice balance of salt, sweetness and texture. How many short ribs do I need per personBeef short ribs usually come 3-4 per package, and the average person will enjoy eating 1-2 bones, depending on what other dishes you’re serving along side them. It’s better to buy extra. Any leftover meat can be shredded and heated up later to make some killer tacos. Smoking beef short ribsThese can be cooked on any type of smoker. Heat your cooker to 275F degrees and consider using hickory and cherry woods. They pair magically with beef. Smoke the ribs for about 4 hours – until the internal temperature reaches 205F degrees. That internal temp is really important. If you pull them from the smoker too early, they won’t be quite as succulent. Because beef short ribs are so rich and buttery, they go well with tart and spicy sides like grilled shishito peppers and pickled red cabbage. Smoked Beef Short RibsThese smoked beef short ribs are amazing. The flavorful crust will dance on your tongue as the slow-smoked buttery meat melts in your mouth. Recipe by Christie Vanover 4.14 from 115 votes Prep Time 1 hour Cook Time 4 hours Servings 4 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
You can leave a little bit of fat, especially around any thinner areas as this will help prevent them from drying out. I usually don’t remove the membrane on the back because I like it there to hold the rack/ bones together. 2. Rub your ribsI like the keep the flavor simple with bbq beef ribs, so I used a simple homemade rub of equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic flakes. I find flakes work better than garlic powder although you can certainly use powder. You could also add some smoked paprika for a little bit more flavor. Mix the rub ingredients together and preferably use a rub shaker to help you get an even coating of seasoning over the ribs. Before applying the rub, spread a thin layer of yellow mustard over the ribs to help the rub stick. Oil or Worchester sauce work too. Try and get an even layer of rub where you can still see the meatYou can let your ribs sit for 20 minutes while you get your smoker setup but I don’t find any benefit in leaving the ribs to sit overnight. 3. Smoking your ribsThese bbq ribs are simple to smoke, and the exact setup depends on the type of smoker you are using. Place the ribs on the grill, bone side towards the heat source to protect the meat. Placing the ribs bone side down helps protect the meat from the heat sourceI wouldn’t bother turning the meat over. I wish I could tell you exactly how long it’s going to cook but there are so many factors that can influence cook time. For a general rule of thumb these time estimates are pretty accurate: Leave your ribs to smoke for at least two hours to allow the bark to set properly. At that point, you can start spritzing every hour with a 50-50 mix of water and apple cider vinegar. Now you need to sit back and wait until the ribs get to at least 200°F internal temperature and the probe goes in and out like butter. If you’re used to cooking pork ribs you might be in for a shock at how long these can take. This is what my ribs looked like after a couple of hours before the bark had properly set. These ribs have a while to go before the bark is setThese bad boys can take a long time to cook. 4. Resting and serving your beef ribsThis is where all your patience pays off. The probe goes in like butter and measures 200-205°F. Carefully pick the ribs up and wrap them in aluminum foil or butcher paper to rest. These short ribs are now ready to wrap and restBe careful not to damage the bark. A good tip I got from Aaron Franklin’s video is to pick the ribs up with a damp towel so you don’t accidentally damage the bark. When resting smoked beef ribs make sure to give them at least 30 minutes, or preferably an hour. If you’re serving these ribs at a party you can using the faux cambro technique will keep the meat warm for a few hours and you will benefit from a longer rest time. This allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat. Once your ribs have rested for at least an hour slice them into individual ribs with a good slicing knife. Don’t forget to grab a rib by the bone for the ultimate caveman experience. I’d say that’s about enough for ribs one servingAnd that’s it! If you’ve followed this guide your ribs should be tender, with a rich smoke ring around the outside. Bbq beef ribs like these really don’t need any kind of barbecue sauce, but if you really like sauce use something that goes well with beef like this Texas mop juice How long does it take to smoke beef short ribs?As a general rule of thumb, you should allow 6-8 hours to smoke a large rack of beef short ribs. I wish I could give you a more accurate time estimate, but the cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the meat, the number of ribs in the rack, and the temperature you decide to smoke at. If you are pressed for time feel free to smoke a little hotter, around 275-300 °F.Don’t forget to include the time it takes to prep and heat your smoker, and an hour to rest the ribs. So from start to eating, allow a solid 8-9 hours. This is why I like to always have more time than I think I will need because if the food is finished early I can always leave it in faux cambro for longer. What temperature should short ribs be cooked toBeef short ribs are typically done between 200-210 °F. I usually aim for the higher side, between 205-210°F.I use my Thermapen ONE to check the internal temperature in multiple parts of the rib, and don’t consider it done until everywhere is probing like butter. At that point, the ribs should be almost falling off the bone. How to get a great barkGetting a good bark on bbq beef ribs involves a few easy steps. The first step is to apply enough rub to the meat. Because beef ribs are a huge cut, feel free to season them liberally. You will need to put a nice even layer on to help the bark formation. Use a rub with a coarse blend of seasonings instead of finely ground which will just absorb into the meat. Large chunks of pepper, garlic, and other spices really help the bark and texture. Spritzing also helps with getting a good bark, just be careful not to spritz too early and rinse away the rub. Normally I wait two hours before spritzing. By this time the rub has had enough time to stick to the meat and by spritzing you will allow the smoke to stick and layers of bark to form as moisture evaporates. Smoke is another key factor in the creation of the bark. The longer your meat is exposed to smoke, the darker it will become as more and more smoke sticks to the surface. When cooking low and slow you are giving the meat more time to build your bark. You may notice that if a piece of meat has been smoked for a long time it may almost look burnt. More than likely it is just the particles that have caramelized on the meat and gotten dark over the long cooking process. It should not taste burnt and still be cooked through and be moist on the inside. Do you need to wrap beef short ribs when smoking?I find that wrapping during the cook prevents the bark from forming properly, and there’s really no need unless you are running out of time. Aaron Franklin doesn’t wrap his smoked beef ribs, and that’s good enough for me! If the bark is getting too dark or I need them done sooner, I will wrap them in butcher paper. The reason I opt to wrap in butcher paper is that allows the meat to breathe and does not steam or braise the ribs like aluminum foil does. You’ve worked hard to create a nice bark, the last thing you want to do is ruin it. Ready for more delicious rib recipes?Smoked Beef Ribs RecipeSmoked Beef RibsSkip the sweet rubs and sauces and let the beef flavor shine through in this recipe for Texas Style Barbecue Beef Short Ribs. 4.49 from 49 votes Print Pin RateCourse: Main Course Cuisine: American Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 6 hours Resting Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes Servings: 6 Calories: 689kcal Author: Jordan Hanger IngredientsFor the rub:Instructions |