Here is a very simple method for Smoking Beef Ribs – simply combine salt and pepper with smoke and time! No need to trim, brine, wrap, use a more complex rub or sauce – all things that could be done to incrementally improve the final result- however sometimes simple is better and this is one of those times.
We found these at our local warehouse store – almost 16 lbs – labeled Beef Chuck Short Rib.
You could choose to trim the excess fat and brine the ribs – we decided to smoke them straight out of the package.
We used a simple salt and pepper rub – equal parts kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper – for this we used about 1/3 cup of each. Let the rub rest on the meat for 1/2 hour to an hour at room temp while you prepare the grill.
Prepare the Primo for smoking – target a smoking temp of 250 to 275 or so. For the Beef Ribs we used a mixture of Oak and Cherry chunks. As you can see, these 4 fit perfectly on the Primo Oval XL.
We checked on them a few hours into the cook with our ThermoPop – the perfect tool for checking the temp between the ribs.
An hour or so later (about 3 1/2 hours in) the ribs have pushed through the stall. You could choose to wrap the ribs at this point with foil or butcher paper – we let them go as is.
You will get a sense they are getting close when you see the rendered fat melted on the bones.
We would target a finish temp of 200 – 205 – we highly recommend a ThermoPop to help confirm when done. We would budget 5 to 6 hours total cook time.
Hard to convey in a picture, but the ribs will feel buttery and jiggle when done.
Let the ribs rest for a bit and then slice and enjoy!
You will see a more prevalent smoke ring in areas with exposed meat vs fat cap.
When done the internal fat will render and coat the meat in goodness.
Here is a view of another Primo Smoked Beef Rib – you can see the variation in the meat and fat.
Primo Smoked Beef Chuck Short Ribs