1st attempt at beef ribs.

[khs282]

Tomorrow will be my first attempt at beef ribs. I just have a couple of questions. Do you typically do it the same as pork ribs? A 3-2-1 kind of method, or am I way off base?

[thunter]

Originally Posted by khs282

Tomorrow will be my first attempt at beef ribs. I just have a couple of questions. Do you typically do it the same as pork ribs? A 3-2-1 kind of method, or am I way off base?

I have done a 3-2-1 before, but they were some pretty meaty beef ribs, so it does work ok. That being said, I had better success when I kept my temps low, 220-225 degrees, and just let them smoke without foil. I did mop them occasionally to keep them moist, and they turned out fabulous after a little over 5 hours. Since this is your first time, I would recommend doing them straight at lower temps, so you get a feel for how they cook. Then you can adjust your methods with foil, etc. on later cooks based on your straight-through cooking results.

[beer and bbq]

The few times I have done beef ribs just cooked them until done around the 5 hour mark. Didn't get fancy with the rub either equal ratio of pepper to salt (kosher or sea) with sauce on the side comes out pretty goodbye. Post some pics of the end result and how they came out. Would love to see it

[LMAJ]

I treat them like brisket on a stick! Cook till probe tender.

[Pappy]

I'm cooking some beef back ribs today. I'm also a 1st timer for beef ribs. Looking forward to peoples comments on your post.

I'm going to start with my my basic no sugar rub (salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a dash of cumin & cayenne pepper) and then foil them after 3 hours, with some beef broth. I might shake in some Foil Hat Rub in with the broth. When they are almost done, remove the foil and put them back on the smoker to let the outside dry up a little. Sauce on the side. A buddy of mine broght me a bottle of sauce from Texas. He says it has some kick to it. "Rudy's Bar-BQ Sause". I might try with it.

[PekingPorker]

Cook them straight with no foiling at 220 - 240 degrees. It's beef, so no two pieces are the same. Sometimes they are done faster than others. What LMAJ said is what I usually do, treat them like brisket, wait until that probe slides in like butter.

[FireChief]

Originally Posted by thunter

I have done a 3-2-1 before, but they were some pretty meaty beef ribs, so it does work ok. That being said, I had better success when I kept my temps low, 220-225 degrees, and just let them smoke without foil. I did mop them occasionally to keep them moist, and they turned out fabulous after a little over 5 hours. Since this is your first time, I would recommend doing them straight at lower temps, so you get a feel for how they cook. Then you can adjust your methods with foil, etc. on later cooks based on your straight-through cooking results.

Pretty much ditto for me. Most racks I get aren't super beefy so I just cook straight and sauce last hour of the cook. I generally cook 250-275 range so I can get them done in 3-4 hours but nothing wrong with a nice low and slow cook.

[Al Czervik]

Are they short ribs or back ribs?

[khs282]

Originally Posted by Al Czervik

Are they short ribs or back ribs?

They are back ribs. I have two racks.

[khs282]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I will be posting some pron of the finished product.

[GoolsbyMD]

I did my first beef ribs yesterday doing the 321 w/foil and man, WAY over cooked, pegged the 225 for the entire cook i mean id pull the bone and it would come right out not sticking at all. I think the two hours foiled was to much. Even over cooked the St. Louis ribs i did, just the same.

[daninnewjersey]

Originally Posted by GoolsbyMD

I did my first beef ribs yesterday doing the 321 w/foil and man, WAY over cooked, pegged the 225 for the entire cook i mean id pull the bone and it would come right out not sticking at all. I think the two hours foiled was to much. Even over cooked the St. Louis ribs i did, just the same.

2 hours in the foil is a lot. Try cooking them without wrapping. I sell them (short ribs) every week and how I do them is:

Trim off the hard fat, make some "X" marks on the membrane side, and season those puppies up. Cook them at 300-325 (or lower if you want) and don't wrap. You'll know when they are done when they probe well...no resistance. No wrapping will get you the great bark and they still get tender.

[treytexag]

Originally Posted by daninnewjersey

2 hours in the foil is a lot. Try cooking them without wrapping. I sell them (short ribs) every week and how I do them is:

Trim off the hard fat, make some "X" marks on the membrane side, and season those puppies up. Cook them at 300-325 (or lower if you want) and don't wrap. You'll know when they are done when they probe well...no resistance. No wrapping will get you the great bark and they still get tender.

In my experience at 225 to 235, two hours in foil for beef back ribs is too long. Of course there are a lot of variables involved, but I do agree that two hours was probably a little too much IMHO.

[Pappy]

Just finished mine. Hope your has more meat than mine did. Good thing I also did 2 racks.

[JS-TX]

Treat them like spares minus all the sweet stuff and fluids in your foil. Try not to sauce at least 1 rack.. they are good all by themselves.