Hickory Smoked Beef Back Ribs

Tomorrow I am doing some ribs, probably going to fry up some wings too.



This is what I have done so far, please give me any other advice you may have!

I have an electric water smoker
I have a full rack of ribs
Removed the connective tissue from the bone side, and the fat
Applied a dry rub
Placed in a vaccuum seal bag with some mopping sauce and vaccuum sealed to marinate for 12 hours

I have hickory chunks for the smoke
I have apple juice for the water bowl

I plan to smoke them for a solid 8 hours, probably 10

sounds sexy

What temps are you considering? 8-10 hours seems a bit long.

arturo7 said:

What temps are you considering? 8-10 hours seems a bit long.

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**** at 200 I was thinking that might be short. Depending on the size of those ribs.

Beef takes a bit longer. 225-250 Id think that was perfect IMO. Depending on the smoker, barometric pressure, cloud ceiling and humidity.



*no idea about those last 3

225-250F for 8-10 hours... they also recommend cooking the beef ribs longer to break down some of the connective tissue. More tender, adds flavor as it melts.

I did some reading, and everything I was given said 8-10 hours for a typical rack. I guess the size only matters where we are talking thickness. I have easily done a rack of pork ribs in 8 hours. These are slightly thicker.

The ribs went in at 8:30am... I just love hickory smoke. It is like... smokey candy!

I really dont want to overdo it with the smoke, since hickory is stronger (but yummy) than say oak, which is pretty mellow. I decided to soak about 4 good chunks (2.5-3" square) and placed those in the smoker at the very start, to get some smoke in there early. Once that is gone, no more smoke.

I do have a mopping sauce, anyone have any tips on this? I have used it before, wasnt greatly impressed, though the meat remained moist, which I suppose is the point.

The Pol said:

I really dont want to overdo it with the smoke, since hickory is stronger (but yummy) than say oak, which is pretty mellow. I decided to soak about 4 good chunks (2.5-3" square) and placed those in the smoker at the very start, to get some smoke in there early. Once that is gone, no more smoke.

I do have a mopping sauce, anyone have any tips on this? I have used it before, wasnt greatly impressed, though the meat remained moist, which I suppose is the point.

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Use a spray bottle

MikeFlynn74 said:

Use a spray bottle

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8:1 apple juice:cider vinegar

I've done beef ribs in 6 hrs & they turned out great. 2-4 hrs on wood is all you need.

This sub-forum is good for this: http://groups.homebrewtalk.com/Grilling_and_Chilling

We have a grilling and chilling forum? Jees.

Okay, so I can do the spray bottle thing, I have a few of those laying around.

4-6 hours? Really?

My only experience is with pork ribs, and those went 8 hours.

When I was trying to research the difference with beef, they said it would take longer in most cases due to some of the tough connective tissue. I should test it at 4-6 hours I suppose!

There is nothing like the smell of hickory smoke in the morning. OH, and this is an electric smoker... not wood.

QUESTION: Is hickory a good choice for beef ribs? I am not a fan of mesquite.

Sound like you got the right plan. Hickory is great for pork, so is oak. Are you going to finish with a barb-q sauce? Probably don't even need it.

couplebeers said:

Sound like you got the right plan. Hickory is great for pork, so is oak. Are you going to finish with a barb-q sauce? Probably don't even need it.

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Did a little more checking...

6-7 hours is used by a lot of beef smokers, so I will check them then.

I dont like to finish with a BBQ sauce, some like sauce, some dont want it or like it, so I keep them dry. Sauce on the side.

I think 6 hours should be enough.

What temps are you running on the pork? That seems way to long.

+1 on apple juice/acv in a spray bottle. My ratio is much close to even.

+1 on no sauce while cooking. With the aj/acv spray, you don't really need it. Serving sauce on the side is the best option, just make sure to heat it.

Man, maybe I didnt run the pork that long. Been a full 12 months since I have smoked anything. Maybe the 10 hours is brisket...

The pork ribs ran at the same temp 225-250F. They were excellent though.

Low and slow makes for KILLER smoked meats.

Sounds right for your brisket at 10hrs. You could do the ribs that long as well, just drop your temps to the 200F range and let em soak in the love. They will be more tender with longer time, but can dry out. Just keep on the basting/soaking and they will stay quite moist. You can also pull them off when they're done and soak in the basting sauce with a little added beef broth until your ready to serve.

You're gonna love those beef ribs.

Once you start gnawing on the bone to get every last shred of the tasty pink meat, you will understand that our teeth and jaws were "designed" for this purpose. I'm like a dog with beef ribs.

Whenever I make ribs I do both beef and pork.

TeufelBrew said:

Just keep on the basting/soaking and they will stay quite moist. You can also pull them off when they're done and soak in the basting sauce with a little added beef broth until your ready to serve.

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Man, I don't want to pick a fight here, we're not in the C&P forum. But I can't abide this falsehood. Basting does nothing for the internal moisture, it only affects the skin/outer layer. In addition BBQ, esp. beef, should have a little bark on it.

As for soaking, who wants soggy meat?

Yeah, I do my baby backs between 4 & 5 hrs and the spare ribs 5 to 6.

arturo7 said:

Man, I don't want to pick a fight here, we're not in the C&P forum. But I can't abide this falsehood. Basting does nothing for the internal moisture, it only affects the skin/outer layer. In addition BBQ, esp. beef, should have a little bark on it.

As for soaking, who wants soggy meat?

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+1 This is correct for BBQ.

I hit it with 1.5 hours of GOOD smoke at the start, would yall recommned giving it a shot at the end, or just let it go? I have never used hickory before.

try this.....

i always use the 3-1-1 method

Playing With Fire and Smoke: Baby Back Rib Class

I do a lot of beef ribs. 99% of the time, I am grilling them Korean style. Marinade in soy and cook @ 225-250. For ribs, I use the 3-2-1 method: smoke indirect for 3hrs, foil and add mop sauce for 2hrs, and remove from foil and glaze with sauce for 1hr. They always turn out really tender.

Beef ribs are a little more fatty than pork ribs. The flavor is different which is why I really like an Asian theme with them. The Asian spices really make them great.

Aubie Stout said:

I do a lot of beef ribs. 99% of the time, I am grilling them Korean style. Marinade in soy and cook @ 225-250. For ribs, I use the 3-2-1 method: smoke indirect for 3hrs, foil and add mop sauce for 2hrs, and remove from foil and glaze with sauce for 1hr. They always turn out really tender.

Beef ribs are a little more fatty than pork ribs. The flavor is different which is why I really like an Asian theme with them. The Asian spices really make them great.

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i have done the 3-2-1 method as well and they always turn out great that way also. if my temp is under 250, i'll let them go a little longer than an hour in the foil also.

The Pol said:

I hit it with 1.5 hours of GOOD smoke at the start, would yall recommned giving it a shot at the end, or just let it go? I have never used hickory before.

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1.5 hrs should be ok. I usually go longer like 3 to 4. Hickory is fine also. I normally use mesquite or pecan for beef and save the hickory for pork.

also a good bbq site to bookmark

Naked Whiz Dot Com

The Pol said:

I hit it with 1.5 hours of GOOD smoke at the start, would yall recommned giving it a shot at the end, or just let it go? I have never used hickory before.

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The smoke will be absorbed in the meat up to a certain temperature. I want to say 120 or 130, but I could be off. 1.5 hrs may have been a little shy of this. 3 hours is a good rule of thumb. Adding more at the end does nothing.

When you start mowing down these ribs, look for the smoke ring. This is the pink tint on the edges of the meat. Pork ribs it should go to the bone. Beef ribs you can get it to the bone in all but the thickest sections.

Ya better take some pics when those bad boys are done so's we can oogle 'em!

Yah, last year when I did pork ribs... I added mesquite blocks for a good portion of the cook time. I know mesquite is a strong wood, and I am not a HUGE fan of it really, but that is what I had. (this is my dumpster dive smoker)

I prefer hickory, so I chose that this time. I will see how they turn out, thanks for the ongoing tips. Ribs and wings are sort of my things. Always looking for better ideas and techniques.

Man... I am definitely smoking some sort of meat this weekend. There have been a bunch of BBQ related threads this week it seems.

This looks great Pol

Prolem, for me, here is finding a decent rack of beef ribs. Used to goto this place in Tulsa that had these HUGE, thick, meaty beef ribs.2 or 3 of those monsters would fill you up but, of course, I had to finish the half rack.

In this town, the ribs are covered in gristle with little meat.

Yet, if you want pork ribs, they have those with more meat than a sirloin steak.

I soooooo, miss sucking on a nice rack for hours.

Yeah, these arent the BEST ribs... next time I will hit up my local buthcher shop. I have to admit though, they were not fatty at all and the pork ribs I looked at were fat as hell. I know... it moistens the meat and adds flavor, but I am going to try going the beef route for now.

If I enjoy these ribs to any degree, I will invest in some better, more meaty ribs for sure.

don't fear the fat. cooked properly, it's a complete and total blessing. ymmv.

deepsouth said:

don't fear the fat. cooked properly, it's a complete and total blessing.

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+1


The whole point of slow cooking is to allow cheap, throw-away cuts of meat, like ribs, shoulders, and brisket, to become good eats.

The lower heat allows the fat to liquify before the meat is fully cooked. As the meat cools, this liquified fat is absorbed back into the meat, making it yummy!

Fat = Flavor

Ever had deer? Pretty lean, pretty tasteless on it's own.


Another prep note Pol, allow those bad bay boys to rest at least 20 min before you eating. I usually wrap in a towel and toss them in a cooler to retain the heat. With pork butt and brisket you should do this for an hour.

Yah, I used to eat a lot of venison, we hunted a lot back home. It was very lean, pretty lame meat if not prepared properly. Now when I was prepping these, the sites I read said to remove the fat from the bones and also from the meat side to a degree, why?

I will do that, I will let these rest for a half hour or so, I have heard that but never done it. Thanks!

The only thing I remove is the membrane, it cannot be broken down by the heat. Not sure why the site suggested removing the fat. The stuff that needs to come off is almost always handled by the butcher shop.

arturo7 said:

The only thing I remove is the membrane, it cannot be broken down by the heat. Not sure why the site suggested removing the fat. The stuff that needs to come off is almost always handled by the butcher shop.

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Well, several resources said to remove the membrane, and the fat under it that was clinging to the bones. Why? Dunno. Maybe I will be eating inferior meat in 60 minutes?

Okay, I just took a fork and tried a chunk from the edge... OMG. I actually think the 4 chunks oif Hickory at the start was spot on for my taste. IT was engulfed in heavy smoke for a couple hours, I think it was ok.

IT IS AMAZING!

Leaving it for 20 more mins, then wrapping up and letting them sit. I will heat some Montgomery Inn sauce from Cinci. for those that want it. I need another rack.

arturo7 said:

Another prep note Pol, allow those bad bay boys to rest at least 20 min before you eating. I usually wrap in a towel and toss them in a cooler to retain the heat. With pork butt and brisket you should do this for an hour.

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i take mine out, foil them, wrap them in a towel and put them in an ice chest for at least an hour before serving them.

deepsouth said:

i take mine out, foil them, wrap them in a towel and put them in an ice chest for at least an hour before serving them.

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I never did like the foil thing, at any point in the process.

It ruins the bark and makes the meat mushy. But hey, to each his own.

You all want to see a pic? Huh? I have them resting now, pasta salad chiling... I have a pic... wanna see?

stop teasing!

here are some i did in may....