Smoked Beef Short Ribs
A rack of beef short ribs with a mustard binder and Holy Cow, smoked unwrapped at 250°F for about 7 hours until probe tender. Plus what I'd change next time.
Beef short ribs are about as simple as smoked meat gets: minimal trim, mustard and Meat Church Holy Cow, and smoke them at 250°F until they're probe tender. My rack was about 4.5 lb and took around 7 hours. Two racks cost me about $90.
The first try
It was extremely tender but not as juicy as I'd hoped. I went with no trim and no wrap on purpose to see how they'd do on their own. Then I got rushed at the end, pulled them early, and only rested them 30 minutes. The edges were 205–210°F and the middle was closer to 190°F.
Next time
I'll trim a bit of the fat so more smoke gets to the meat, maybe start at 225°F for the first hour or two, and try wrapping to even out the heat. And give them a much longer rest.
Watch the cook
Beef
Smoked Beef Short Ribs
A rack of beef short ribs with a mustard binder and Holy Cow, smoked unwrapped at 250°F for about 7 hours until probe tender. Plus what I'd change next time.
Print- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook
- About 7 hours
- Total
- About 8 hours
- Yield
- 3–4 servings
- Method
- Smoked
- Wood
- Bear Mountain pellets
Ingredients
Instructions
- Set your smoker to 250°F.
- Do a minimal trim: remove the tough membrane on top and any loose fat.
- Coat with mustard, then season all sides generously with Holy Cow.
- Smoke unwrapped at 250°F until probe tender between the bones, around 200–205°F internal. Expect about 7 hours.
- Rest wrapped for at least 30 minutes, and longer if you can. Then slice between the bones.
Pitmaster Notes
- Lessons from my first rack: trim a little more fat, start at 225°F for an hour or two for more smoke, and consider wrapping so the outer ribs don't get ahead of the middle.
- Rest longer than 30 minutes. It makes a big difference.
- Bear Mountain pellets were my pick here.
Product links are things I actually used. Some are affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Times and temps are my starting points. Every cooker and every cut runs a little different, so cook to temperature and feel, not the clock.
