How To Cook Mouth Watering BBQ Beef Back Ribs?
There was a time when pork ribs ruled the world of ribs, but in recent times meat lovers all over the world have discovered that beef ribs can be just as much of a treat when prepared and cooked to perfection.
Beef ribs are much cheaper than ribeye steaks, the meat that they lie close to in the beef carcass. But just like ribeye steak, beef ribs have a rich beefy flavor because they are well-marbled with fat. However, because these muscles are used more frequently by the cow, they have quite a bit of connective tissue and sinew, rendering them very chewy unless prepared and cooked properly.
While there are many ways to cook perfect beef back or beef short ribs, this article focuses on a special recipe for BBQ beef back ribs that will taste like nothing you have experienced before. At The Ribeye Club, our premium beef back ribs, also known as beef spare ribs, are nothing short of perfect for this dry rub sensation.
This recipe calls for a full rack of beef back ribs which usually weighs about 1.1 kg and can be delivered directly to your door anywhere in Cyprus, compliments of The Ribeye Club.
So, let’s get to the fun part, the cooking supplies, ingredients and methods needed to cook those mouth-watering beef back ribs.
Cooking Supplies:
- Smoker/Grill (gas or old-school charcoal fire)
- Charcoal
- Woodchips for smoke and added flavor
- Butter knife
- Sharp meat knife
Notes: While either a smoker or a charcoal/gas grill will do the trick, we prefer a smoker for a deeper distinctive flavor. A charcoal/gas grill will get you very close to the same result when you use the right technique and good-quality woodchips.
Ingredients:
- 3 racks of premium quality beef back ribs
- 4 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 3 tablespoons ground coffee
- 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1.5 tablespoon ancho chile powder
Notes: This recipe is for three racks of premium quality beef back ribs, usually weighing about 1.1kg per rack. And if you are a fan of sticky BBQ ribs, there is no harm in basting your ribs with a good quality homemade BBQ sauce.
Method:
Step 1 – Preparing Your Smoker/Grill
Start by lighting up your smoker/grill. Make sure that you add enough charcoal or wood to maintain a cooking temperature of between 225F and 250F for at least six hours. Because beef ribs have a lot of fat and connective tissue, you won’t have to bother about wrapping them like pork ribs.
Creating a lot of smoke, especially in the first two hours will add immense flavour to beef back ribs, so keep lots of wood chunks on hand. Fruity woodchips, such as apple or cherry are great for beef ribs, but whatever you have on hand will do.
Step 2 – Preparing Your Beef Back Ribs
Examine the beef ribs and cut away any loose hanging pieces of bone, meat or fat. This will be extremely beneficial as you prepare, smoke, and ultimately serve and enjoy them. Trim them neatly, but don’t remove too much fat from the ribs. The fat will keep your ribs moist and juicy while cooking. It also adds a unique sweetness to your rib meat.
Your beef ribs will have a thin membrane on the bone side known as silver skin. This should be removed as it is unchewable and prevents your dry rub or smoke from penetrating the meat during the cooking process. It is easiest to get a butter knife between the membrane and the bone to loosen as much of it as possible. Once you can get a good grip on it, use a paper towel or clean cloth and pull it away until you have completely removed it.
Step 3 – Adding Your Dry Rub to Your Beef Back Ribs
With your ribs trimmed and the silverskin removed, you are now ready to add flavour to your beef back ribs.
While there are many great dry rub recipes out there and even more ready-mixed supermarket options, our coffee, cocoa and chile mix shared in this recipe is our tried and tested method that lands that extra something the first time, every time.
Quite simply, mix all the dry ingredients shared above and rub them generously on both sides of each rack. Make sure that every inch is covered. There is no need to work it into the meat, that will happen seamlessly as it cooks.
Step 4 – Cooking Your Beef Back Ribs
Once your smoker reaches 225F and 250F, you can place your beef back ribs bone side down onto your grid. They will pretty much cook at this temperature. All you need to do is ensure that you maintain your smoker’s temperature at a minimum of 225F.
With this cooking method commonly known as low and slow, your ribs will need to cook for 6 hours in your smoker.
If you don’t have a smoker, you can use a traditional gas or charcoal grill. You just need to ensure that you can maintain a temperature of 225F to 250F. Using indirect heat is the best for this recipe.
Step 5 – Serving Your Beef Back Ribs Check if your ribs are fully cooked after 6 hours. You can use a skewer to check how tender they are – this will give you a good indication. Remove your beef ribs from the smoker and cover them in tin foil. As with any meat, let the ribs rest before cutting them. Resting your beef back ribs allows the heat and juices to equal out. As the meat relaxes, it will become juicier and more succulent.
You are now ready to cut and plate them. The best way to cut your ribs is to stand them up and cut through the centre using two bones as your marker.
Wrapping Things Up
If this was your first or second attempt at smoked BBQ beef back ribs, you will either be 100 % satisfied or you may want to carry on experimenting with different flavors based on your palate. Either way, you would have achieved a baseline and because we are so confident with this recipe, we know it will be a very good baseline. And that’s the thing about barbeque – we are always on the prowl for that flavor that wows.
