Might give beef ribs a try. If I wanted similar results as the 3-2-1 pork ribs, can I except the same results from beef using the 3-2-1? Are there different types of beef ribs? If so, which typically taste the best?

Bacardi,

I haven't tried beef ribs yet (well, not in my smoker, anyway), but I do know that Costco, for the first time that I've seen, had some large beef ribs on Monday at our local store. I almost bought them, but backed out at the last minute. The last time I bought some at a local supermarket, I was extremely disappointed with the lack of any significant meat, they were mostly big bone and lots of fat. Now, I like marbling, but these were to the point of ridiculously "overly fatty" and way too little meat, even though the price ($1.19 per pound) was attractive. But, given the little meat available, it was ultimately more like fifteen dollars per pound after fat and bone!

These were large ribs, maybe 8-10 inches long and @1-1/2" square. They were tasty, but I would have never tried the 3:2:1, they cook up in thirty minutes or so. In the smoker I believe two hours would be overcooked - but I can't say this with any authority.

If you wind up buying some, please let us know how you make out, hopefully pics included, and the procedure you use to cook them. Albeit mostly fat, mine did have a great taste to them.

Sorry I can't answer with more experience, hopefully someone else more familiar with beef ribs can answer this for you with perhaps more valuable info.

Mike

I may be wrong, because it has been many years since I've tried to do them on a grill or smoker. But they don't have the fat like a brisket, or the pork does.

My favorite way is with the shorts, is in the pressure cooker. With your choice of sauce.

Greg

Ive been doing beef ribs on my grill for some time with good results....While not the 3-2-1 method, I grill them till I get a good browning ,then foil for 1 1/2 hrs than back to the grill for glazing ....I too have tried Costco and local market big beef bones...alot of fat but good flavor...My prefrence is to pick up rib eye bones when the local market has a sale on boneless ribeyes...These tend to have more meat and less fat than the large vacum packed bones...Out your way I would check Wegmans or Whole Foods.....Brad

Bacardi, see this thread and read Stogies post.

Stogie is a master BBQ smoker who knows his stuff, wish he would visit us again...

Bluesin

Thanks everyone!

According Stogie that blue recommended...Cook them for two extra hours...I guess 5-2-1?

A Beef Rib is a Beef Rib is a Beef Rib in my admittedly limited experience. Biggest variable is how it's trimmed, as some places virtually peel everything of merit off the ribs before selling and others just cut them off the primal and sell them as is. A good beef-monger is critical there. There's an excellent recipe at Epicurious.com for Bourbon Maple Glazed Beef ribs that I've made a couple times. It's a bit elaborate, but well worth the effort. In fact, I've two full racks in the fridge that I picked up at Eastern Market with the intention of cooking this weekend. The recipe underestimates the time required if you're doing classic Q on old-school equipment, but your eye will tell you when it's done. I'm trying to find other recipes, ideally something with apple or cherry wood (in fact, that's what drew me to this forum) but no joy so far. If I understand the 3-2-1 method I don't know that I'd go with it for the beef ribs, but that said I'm more that a bit traditional on that front so I may not be the best source for advice there.
Cheers,
Jeff

I think I'm done with spare ribs, pork or beef. I know beef has baby backs, I don't think I want to try them...I'm liking cost savings of boston butt more and more

Bacardi -

It has been some time since I have done beef ribs and if memory serves me right, I wasn't overly wowed. I think you may be on the right track with the Boston Butt route...

Mike

I'm having a hard time understanding what a boston butt has to do with beef ribs?

I have done beef ribs using the 3-2-1 method twice, the first time the normal, smoke, foil, grill and the second the reverse, foil, smoke,grill and both worked great. This method works really well for beef ribs. The main thing with beef ribs is to insure that you get a good cut of meat, as r8rsfan noted a lot of butchers carve most of the meat away from the ribs leaving them with not much else besides bone.

Here's a couple of pics of the last batch I did using the reverse 3-2-1 method of foiling first, I cut up an orange and placed it around the ribs and the peel on top during the foiling process.

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Here they are done

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I absoutely love cooking them, they are a delicacy when you can get them cut right.

But really what does beef ribs have to do with boston butt???

Bluesin

Blues,

I'm not sure of the Boston butt relevancy, but I do know that plated shot is fantastic! With the oranges, this I've GOT to try!

Mike

Bluesin, those look great!

I took the Boston Butt comment to mean anything but beef ribs...after all, when can you go wrong with a BB?

Mike

Thanks Mike, go to a good butcher and have them cut you some beef ribs specially, don't get them as leftover trimmings and I think they will become a new favorite. As far as the oranges goes, this method of cooking with fruit does exactly what I want it to which is add in a hint of flavor, and it seems to work pretty well.



Ok, dualing Mikes here, thank's also, coming from the food shot master that's a compliment to say the least. I suppose Bacardi is saying that BB is pretty much the same as spareribs of either the beef or pork kind so why not just buy a BB, of course I would totally differ on that...

Bluesin

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Those look excellent. Since I can't stand it anymore, I'm going in! These are out of the bag....
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Then trimmed (about 8 oz of membrane and fat came off)
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And the front side (just because)
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Those will marinate overnight with some herbs and spices in water and beer. The recipe says a light Lager, but in honor of the 5th anniversary of the Big Blackout I've gone with Great Lakes Brewery Blackout Stout instead. More tomorrow.

Hmmm. Clearly I have some work to do on attachments

No Prob, also try to resize them to 800 x 600 or so so they can be viewed without scrolling...

Let us know how it turns out...

Bluesin

I just meant $$$ wise, if I have to go to a butcher, it's too much, lol

Completed The Procedure today in between bouts of Cruising Woodward (one of the reasons I love Q is I can step away an hour at a time ) Charcoal and hickory chunks, since Beef wants some strong flavors to hang out with. Here's where things went:

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After 3 hours in the smoker, good color and moving along nicely with the cooking process. Neighbors heads are starting to peek over the fence.

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At the seven hour mark it's about time to think about the finish on the grill

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Lathered on the Bourbon Molasses Sauce and gave 'em a good 15 minutes on medium heat, flipping and coating very frequently. They came out reasonably palatable

In short, I can recommend this recipe if you can get your mitts on good Beef Ribs and have traditional equipment. It's likely worth a try in something like a Big Green Egg but I couldn't speak to the timing there.

Jeff

r8rsfan,
Nice job! The meat pulled back nicely on the bones, I'm assuming with the smoke time you had some very tender ribs there! Nice enhancement with the bourbon, and of couse, the molasses is the perfect compliment for sweetness!

Great presentation on the smoker!

Mike

Thanks! Would have answered earlier, but had to eat the ribs then head out to CA. I'd love to take credit for the sauce, but it's from Epicurious.com (and REALLY good!). I only picked the application and cooking style, although in fairness I can highly recommend the combination of the three.. They were pretty dang good

I did beef ribs two weeks ago and didn't do the 3-2-1 method but instead did the 4-2.5-30 mins that's ( 4hrs smoking, 2.5 hrs wrap in foil and a spritz of apple juice and 30 minutes unfoiled). The 4 hrs of smoking renders alot of the fat and the apple juice steamed the meat and moistened the meat and the 30 minutes made the bones fall off the meat. I put a nice rub on them and made a great BBQ sauce to go with them (but didn't smear the sauce on the ribs while they were in the smoker) it was more a dipping sauce.

There is a bbq place in Kansas City called Jacks Stack and they serve amazing beef ribs. They bring them out on a large plate. It kiinda looks like the ribs they bring Fred Flintstone at the beginning of the cartoon and it pulls the car over! Very tender with tons of meat on them. All smoked. No foil. I would recommend them to ANYONE!

Sinko Stacko

I've BBQed beef short ribs as well as regular beef back ribs quite a few times using the 3-2-1 method. Short ribs are much meatier than regular beef back ribs, which I personally don't think are very good unless you enjoy eating fat. I buy a cryovac package of ribs. They come four ribs in a rack and four racks in the pack. I trim off all of the surface fat, silver skin on the meat side of the ribs and the membrane on the bone side. I also cut them into two-rib pieces so that everyone gets a rib with outside bark after they're cooked. The night before I plan to smoke them, I rub them with a rub of Kosher salt, cracked pepper and some cayenne pepper, Texas style. I then fridge them overnight. One hour before smoking, I take them from the fridge. I then smoke them at 225 degrees using the 3-2-1 method putting a little apple juice with the meat when I foil them. They come out kind of like brisket on a stick.
They are always everyone's favorite whenever I BBQ.

greychamp,

Sounds delicious! I've never made short ribs either smoked or grilled. My wife usually braises them and man are they ever awesome! But I'll give your method a try - we've got a cryovac pack in the freezer right now (usually for a rainy day). Thanks for sharing - you've got my taste glands salivating for that bark side!

mikey