Need some help--beef ribs

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jcbigler

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Jun 1, 2015
520
76
Chouteau, OK
I got a rack of beef short ribs from the butcher today. They were sold as beef short ribs, but I think these are actually the chuck short ribs, IMPS 130, four bones. The whole rack is 5.02lbs.

I've never smoked beef ribs before, so I need some help here.

Do these need to be trimmed at all? How long do you think these need to cook for? Probably go a little higher like 250-275 like I do with brisket. I'm expecting maybe 7 or 8 hours at most? What's the target temp for beef ribs?

Should I wrap? If so, foil or paper?

Plan to just use salt and pepper, maybe 1:2 salt to pepper ratio but that might be too much for the women folk here.

These things were frozen solid when I picked them up. But they were the last rack of beef ribs the shop had and it was just before closing time on Friday. Sunday is the day for the smoke, so hopefully they will be thawed out by then.


 
Only done beef ribs once,that said, I wouldn't trim and foil most definitely they need to braise to render properly. I did some both ways as the wife isn't a bark fan the wrapped ones were much better. I think your time frame is going to be pretty close.
 
Ha! I'm in the exact same boat as you brother!
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Got beef short ribs thawing out as we speak. Plan to hit the smoker today or tomorrow. Not very hopeful as most beef ribs you get around here aren't worth the wood it takes to smoke them. Very little meat. One bite per bone usually if that. But I can't help but to pick some up every once in awhile just to aggravate myself!
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These are about 5lbs and they were frozen so it's hard to tell if they are any better quality than what I've had in the past but from what I could tell they might be slightly meatier than what I've seen. You have to get them to a pretty high internal to get the tenderness. Around 200 or so. Braising is another way to make sure you get tender ribs. I may char mine on the open flame when starting the smoker then put them in the smoker around 250 for a few hours then in a pan with some dark beer and beef broth maybe some onions and braise them to finish them off. 

Or maybe when they thaw out and I get a look at them I will hang them from the bird feeder for suet!!
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Chuck Ribs can be pretty Fatty, both having a cap and heavy marbling. I trim the external fat as it is not needed to Baste the ribs. There is typically a good amount of meat that takes some time to get tender, an IT of 200+. Smoking at 225 will take some where around 7-8 hours with foiling speeding the process. I would not go in a Crock Pot, the flavor get washed out. Just be patient, think thinner Brisket on the Bone...JJ
 
Beef ribs are my absolute favorite. Cook them like a brisket. Consider them "brisket on a stick." I always cook then with a brisket because it is difficult to get a good reading on the internal temperature because of the bone. When the brisket is ready, the ribs are ready.
 
Let's hope rain and wind are your only issues!
So far no warnings. And this line is super slow moving. I've been watching it since late last night when it was out in Western Oklahoma/Texas Panhandle.

Central Texas is getting pounded though. 
 
Yelp...starting to rain here. And the wind is dying down now.

I think I'll heat up the oven in case I decide to pull them off the smoker.
 
All right, I gave up. After 6 hours on the smoke, and powering through the rain, I pulled them off, wrapped in foil and tossed them in the oven at 285 to finish up. 

My smoker just didn't have any heat left and I used up a bunch more wood than I had planned trying to power through the rain. IT on the ribs is right about 185ish. Hopefully an hour or so wrapped in foil at 285 and they will be up to the 200 degree mark and ready for a late dinner. 
 
Finished my beef ribs. 

Can't say that I am that happy with them. Total cook time was right at 8 1/2 hours. The tenderness was okay. Could have been a little more tender. But they were not that as moist as I expected. Not sure if they were a lower quality of meat? Or if it was because they had been frozen and not vac packed? 

Anyway, I'll have to work on my technique with beef ribs. 

The rain certainly did not help.




 
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