Barbecued Beef Back Ribs

Recipes like these smoked beef back ribs come down to the rub and the cooking technique, and these don’t disappoint in either department. There’s a lot of waiting time, but low and slow allows the rub’s flavor to permeate the ribs, doing wonders for the texture of the meat.

The only problem I have with this recipe is the amount of grilling at the end. Instead of basting with the sauce, I warmed it up over low heat and served it on the side. That way, I could regulate how much or little to put on the ribs.

I also tried the ribs without the sauce to see the difference and found the rub is good enough that you don’t need any sauce. And if you do use barbecue sauce, be sure it’s low in salt, as the rub already has enough salt in it.

The first thing that came to mind while making this grilled beef back ribs recipe was how awesome it would be to make on a lazy summer day. Almost a zen-like kind of effort goes into this slow process. And with an outstanding result.

Here are some small adjustments that could make a good impact. When applying the rub by sprinkling and then pressing it into the ribs, the turbinado sugar simply rolled off. Most of the sugar was left on the prep surface.

This is a shame, as I suspect the sugar would have created a nice caramelized exterior. Perhaps if a mild light oil went on first, the mixture would adhere better. Alternately, light or dark brown sugar could be a substitute. The rub recipe made a hearty sum and I used only 1 cup with 1/2 cup saved for later.

My only criticism of the recipe is that I wanted the ribs to be more tender. This could have everything to do with my own error. My ribs were whole and very large, making wrapping them a bit difficult. I ended up stacking a couple on top of each other.

I did use strong coffee before wrapping the ribs in foil. At the end of cooking the coffee had evaporated. Good news, I thought. However, there could well have been a hole in the foil that prevented the necessary steaming. This may be why my test result was not as tender as expected. I would continue to stress the wrapping of the ribs as an essential step to ensure a tender result.

I used Bobby Flay’s barbecue sauce recipe. So good.

The spice quantities specified will make enough rub for about 3 batches of ribs. I see no reason why it won’t keep as long as all of the constituent spices—months, easily, if kept airtight. Perhaps I am salt-tolerant; I used 1/2 cup of salt and didn’t find the result overly salty.

The butcher in my local grocery store removed the membrane from the back of the ribs before packaging them, so I wasn’t bothered by that step. I’ve removed the membrane myself in the past, and it’s not that tough, but if you’re not so inclined, ask your butcher. They may do it for free.

Rather than cooking over a wood grill, I used a pellet smoker with a temperature sensor. I followed the recommended temperatures and timing closely and was pleased with the results. Don’t try to cut corners here! I’m sure the hour of foil-wrapped tenderizing is particularly important.

As for coffee with the ribs in the foil pack, I am not a coffee drinker, but reading “…if you’re the adventurous type…” is like waving a red flag at a bull for me. I have a jar of Folgers coffee crystals for cooking emergencies like this. It recommends 1 heaping teaspoon of crystals per 6 ounces of water. I used a heaping tablespoon and 4 ounces of water, so the coffee was definitely strong. I couldn’t taste coffee in the finished ribs.

Servings are hard to say. I served 2 with lots of leftovers. Some were removed from the bone and went into a very tasty pasta sauce, chopped coarsely. The recipe also works with short ribs but might be better for them with a longer cooking time.

I made the rub using Hawaiian sea salt, starting with 1/4 cup but ended up adding 1/4 cup more because I thought it was too sweet. I did use the coffee.

I’m fairly certain that the grill temperatures are a “close enough” guide just to make sure the ribs are smoked and tender. On the final cook, I only sauced half of the ribs so we could try them both ways. Honestly, I preferred the dry rub version, there’s enough fat on the ribs that they stay moist without a wet sauce.