Coffee-Crusted Barbecue Beef Ribs (With a Versatile Rub) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How to season beef ribs before smoking? ›

Season. Slather the trimmed ribs in spicy Dijon mustard (make sure to get a variety that contains horseradish), and season liberally with either my Beef Rub or equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The mustard gives a little hint of flavor while also helping that dry rub cling to the outside of the ribs. Smoke.

Heat up the grill to 400 degrees and set it for direct heat. Place the seasoned ribs directly on the grates for 2 minutes per side. Once the cook is done, take the ribs off the grill and set aside for 15 minutes while the meat rests.

Combine the water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Once the rack has had at least 2 hours of smoke, spritz with the vinegar mixture every hour or so. Cook until an instant read thermometer reads 206-210f at the thickest part of the meat.

Once the smoker is set up and holding the proper temperature, you can proceed with cooking the ribs. The first step in cooking these pre-sliced ribs is to smoke them for about 2 hours at 225-240°F. With no rub and no membrane, the smoke has absolute access to the meat and that's a good thing.

Adding Moisture while Smoking Ribs

I like to cook with a water pan in a pellet grill or offset, which is a personal preference. We also use a spritz while the 3-2-1 ribs are smoking. The added moisture to the cooking chamber really helps with color on the smoked ribs and keeping the texture moist.

Most of my rib recipes (like my popular 3-2-1 Smoked Ribs and Hot and Fast Ribs) are foiled with an apple cider and butter braising liquid to keep them moist and tender while cooking on the smoker.

Apply an even amount all over the beef. Smoke for at 250-275 degrees until the meat is probe tender, anywhere between 205-210 degrees internal. Approx 6-8 hours. Wrap the ribs in pink butcher paper and rest for 1 hour in a cooler before slicing.

Because ovens have controlled temperature you are less likely to overcook or under cook your ribs. You can also put the ribs in the oven and leave them as the heat will be even the entire time that they are inside. Ovens also have the added benefit of cooking faster than BBQ.

A thermometer probe placed in the thickest part of the meat between two ribs with the high temperature alarm set to 205°F (96°C) will alert you to a perfect doneness temperature. There will be a stall on these ribs, but it is much shorter than on other BBQ cuts.

Braising, which is actually slow simmering (after browning in a bit of oil or butter), brings irresistibly tender and boldly flavored results to this meaty cut of beef. Because short ribs require long, slow cooking for tenderness and flavor, braising is the perfect technique for cooking them.

How do you prepare beef ribs before cooking? ›

To prepare beef ribs, start by removing the membrane so you don't wind up with chewy meat. If you want to use a rub you'll have to let the ribs sit overnight. Alternately, you can apply barbeque sauce while cooking. Once you know how you want your ribs, preheat your grill or oven to 225 °F.

With that in mind, what I tend to use and find is the best spritz for smoking is apple cider vinegar but water will work as well, or a 50/50 mix. Another great alternative is apple juice where the sugars in the juice also add another level of flavour to your bark.

Faster Cooking Time: Wrapping the ribs in foil helps to trap in moisture, which can result in a faster cooking time compared to smoking the ribs without foil. This is because the steam generated by the moisture helps to cook the meat more evenly and quickly.

We're looking to hit an internal temperature of around 230°F (110°C) and continue cooking for a few hours until meat is tender enough to fall apart when a fork is inserted (about 2-3 hours depending on size of chuck and type of smoker).

You can still make satisfactory ribs without removing. At the very least, though, you should cut slits in the membrane so that the ribs don't curl up and will sit flat. That membrane will pull the ribs into an arch when cooked if left on and not slit.

Place lids or covers on the containers and place the ribs in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours. This allows the salt in the rub to draw the juices to the outside of the meat where it can mix with the rub and be drawn back into the meat.

I think the best rib rubs start with sugar as a base. Pork and sweet were just made to go together. From there, you'll see recipes with salt and pepper plus a mix of things that are custom to each pitmaster. I like to add in smoked paprika for a boost of wood-fired flavor as well as a gorgeous red color that pops.

Mix all of the ingredients—paprika, lemon pepper, brown sugar, black pepper, white pepper, onion salt, garlic, and chili powder—and store the rib seasoning in an airtight container in a cool dark place. Apply the rub to pork with a shaker right before it goes into the smoker, charcoal grill, gas grill, or oven.