How Long to Smoke Beef Finger Ribs for Perfectly Smoked Beefy Bites

Smoked beef ribs are the newest (and most glorious) meat trend to hit the BBQ scene. The best BBQ platters have these huge chunks of meat on them. They are made of beef and are full of delicious flavor.

How to Smoke Beef Ribs

Low and slow is the name of the game when smoking beef ribs. You need enough smoke to properly season the meat and give you that beautiful dark coveted bark. Also, these guys need a lot of time to lose their fat and tough connective tissue so that they are perfectly fall-off-the-bone.

• Prep. There is a layer of fat on top of the ribs and a thin layer of tissue on the side made of bone. This is something you can do yourself or have your butcher do. In any case, you don’t want that membrane there because it’s not good to eat. When you do it at home, slide a butter knife under the membrane, grab it with a paper towel, and lift it off.
• Season. Spread the trimmed ribs with spicy Dijon mustard (make sure to get one with horseradish). Then, use my Beef Rub or a mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to season them well. A little bit of flavor comes from the mustard, and it also helps the dry rub stick to the outside of the ribs.
• Smoke. Once your smoker is hot (250 degrees F), put the ribs on it, cover it, and smoke them for three hours.
• Spritz. Use the recipe below to make a vinegar and hot sauce mixture to spray on these ribs. Since these ribs aren’t wrapped, the spritz is very important to keep them moist and help the bark get really tasty. Just because you think it looks spicy doesn’t mean it is. It gives the ribs a little extra bite and “wow,” kind of like how I use vinegar in my Carolina Style Pulled Pork. Continue to smoke until the ribs reach 203 degrees F.
• Rest, slice, and serve. It is important to let them rest once you reach your goal temperature of 203 degrees F. Place them in a cooler with a towel over them and wrap them in butcher paper. Let them rest for an hour before cutting them into individual ribs and serving.

What are Beef Ribs?

To begin, let’s talk about the cut of beef you’re looking for when smoking beef ribs. I know that sometimes that sea of meats at the grocery store can be intimidating. Skip the pre-packaged stuff and simply ask your butcher for beef ribs. These beefy, beautiful ribs are from the bottom end of the ribs. There is usually about 1 to 2 inches of meat on top of the bone.

There is no need for back ribs in this recipe. If you want to make this cut, I have a recipe for Beef Back Ribs. Those have hardly any meat on the bone and only about an inch of meat between bones. These ribs are often called “shiners” because there isn’t much meat on top. Instead, the bones show through while they’re cooking.

The thick cuts that are the best for smoking come in two different varieties.

• Chuck ribs. They usually come in a 4-bone beef rib section. The bones are usually a little shorter and have a little less meat on them.
• Plate ribs. The beef rib should have three big bones and more meat on top of them.

Different pitmasters prefer different cuts, but either one works perfectly with this recipe. Because that’s what my butcher had in stock, I used a 4-bone section of chuck ribs for this, but plate ribs would work just as well!

When I made this recipe on the second episode of Food Network’s BBQ Brawl, it went over really well. I used my awesome Homemade Coffee Rub for that challenge, and the judges loved it. But my Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub tastes even better on these ribs.

Also, I was under a time crunch on BBQ Brawl, so I smoked between 275 and 325 degrees F to have these ribs done in under 5 hours. When you have the time, definitely cook at 250 degrees F for a longer period of time.

When it comes to big, beefy cuts like these smoked beef ribs, I like to keep the seasonings pretty simple. You gotta just let the meat and the smoke do the talking. I did add a little element of heat by using Dijon mustard to keep everybody on their toes. It’s not spicy, rather a warm and amazing melt-in-your-mouth bit of smoked beef rib goodness.

All you need to season these ribs is my Beef Rub. This is a great dry rub made with salt and pepper that goes well with grilled and smoked beef. You can purchase this from the Hey Grill Hey Store. You can use Kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and garlic powder in equal amounts if you don’t have any on hand.

Smoked Beef Finger Ribs | Texas Style

FAQ

How long does it take to smoke finger beef ribs?

How long does it take to smoke beef ribs at 225 degrees?

What temperature are beef finger ribs done at?

How long to smoke beef short ribs?

How long do you smoke ribs in a smoker?

Preheat the smoker to 250F degrees. Place the seasoned ribs in the smoker and about 4 hours. The cooking time will depend on the size of your ribs (some racks are much larger than others.) So the bottom line is they will be fully cooked when the meat reaches a temperature between 200F and 205F degrees.

How do you smoke beef ribs in a smoker?

If using mop sauce, prepare it according to your preferred recipe. Once the smoker is heated, add the soaked wood chips to the chips tray to generate smoke. Place the beef ribs on the smoker grates, bone side down, and close the smoker. Optionally, baste the ribs with mop sauce every hour or as desired to keep them moist.

How do you smoke ribs in a hickory smoker?

Fill smoker with hickory pellets and heat to 230-250ºF. I like to use a lower temperature for thinner Ribs and a higher temperature for thicker Ribs. Place Ribs on the lowest grate of the smoker and smoke for 2 hours. After two hours, brush or spray the Ribs with a 3:1 ratio of vinegar to water.

How long do you smoke ribs at 203 degrees?

Program your thermometer alert to sound at 203 degrees F. Close the lid, and smoke the ribs for 3 hours. Spritz the beef ribs and continue smoking. In a food safe spray bottle, shake the vinegar and hot sauce together. After the initial 3 hour smoke, begin spritzing your ribs every 45 minutes to an hour.