You can make succulent, fall-off-the-bone beef ribs in your own backyard by cooking them low and slow. This is the secret to making them extra tender and delicious.
Before starting to cook the ribs, remove the membrane that is on the back of the meat. It is easy to do by slipping a knife under the membrane and working it loose.
Prep the Ribs
If you’re planning to cook beef ribs, it’s important to start with the best possible meat. Look for a rack of ribs with a good amount of fat and a dark coveted bark, which is the combination of seasoning, heat, and smoke that oozes from the seasoned meat and forms a black outer crust.
To achieve that elusive bark, you’ll need to cook the ribs low and slow. That means using a smoker set at 250 degrees Fahrenheit or lower and smoking the ribs for several hours until they’re tender enough to bend with a little bit of effort and a meat thermometer inserted into the center registers between 180 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
Before smoking, prepare the ribs by removing the membrane from the back of each rib bone. This can be done by slipping a knife under the membrane and gently pulling it away from the bone. This step is optional, but it helps make the ribs more tender and allows your rub or marinade to penetrate better. Also, it helps prevent the ribs from burning on the grill.
Season the Ribs
Beef ribs really shine when they are cooked low and slow on the grill. The low heat helps to retain the juiciness of the meat and the smoke adds that beautiful dark color and that coveted bark to the outside of the ribs.
One of the first things to do is to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. This is a papery layer that you can ask your butcher to remove or you can do it yourself. It’s easy enough, just work a knife underneath it at one of the corners and use a paper towel to grip it and pull it off.
Season the ribs with salt on both sides. I used the Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub, which is an awesome salt and pepper based dry rub that was specifically made to compliment beef and bbq.
Place the Ribs on the Grill
Beef ribs are best cooked low and slow to tenderize the connective tissue that binds the meat. This can be done in the oven or on a grill using indirect heat. If you want a smokier flavor, consider adding wood chips to the charcoal or creating a foil smoker pouch.
Then, coat the uncooked ribs with a dry rub and place them on a baking sheet with their meaty side down. Sprinkle with salt and let rest for an hour.
While the ribs are marinating, remove the membrane that lines the underside of each rack. This can be difficult, but it is essential for tender beef ribs. Start in one corner and work a knife or screwdriver underneath, easing it loose. It should come away easily.
After the ribs have marinated for an hour, preheat the grill for indirect heat. If you are using a gas grill, bank the charcoal to one side and place a drip pan on the other. Place the seasoned ribs on the grill, meaty side down, and cook for an hour.
Cook the Ribs on the Grill
The long, low cooking time of these beef ribs makes them exceptionally tender and flavorful. When the meat is done, it should bend easily at the bone and a fork will glide through the meat without resistance. To ensure that you cook the ribs to the perfect temperature, use an instant-read meat thermometer.
The key to these ribs is the rub, which is the combination of seasonings used to coat the ribs. The ingredients in the rub mix include brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin. The ribs are rubbed and then covered with the dry glaze and placed on the grill for three hours.
Before you cook the ribs, remove the membrane, a thin fatty skin that lines the underside of each rack. You can do this by working a table knife or screwdriver underneath the membrane and gently lifting it up.
During the cooking process, make sure the meat is at 250 degrees Fahrenheit by checking on the grill frequently. If the temperature drops, add more hot coals to the fire and move the ribs around to prevent burning them. The ribs are finished when they are tender and have a beautiful mahogany bark.
Glaze the Ribs
This is optional but it adds a nice extra layer of flavor. The glaze is made of ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, corn syrup, molasses and smoked paprika, and cooked until thickened. Pour over the ribs and let the sauce penetrate into the meat.
The ribs are then grilled for about two hours to finish cooking them and adding that all-important bbq “bark.” It’s the black outer crust of seasoning, heat, smoke and fat that oozes out during grilling to create a richly delicious, tender and chewy outer layer.
When you’re ready to eat the ribs, take them out of the oven and remove the papery membrane on the underside (you can ask your butcher to do this for you or just work a butter knife under it and pull). Serve with the remaining glaze. Enjoy! *If you don’t have a smoker, this recipe can be easily modified to bake in the oven instead. Just cook them for about 2 hours and be sure the ribs reach an internal temperature of about 202 degrees F.
