Baby back beef ribs: A few questions please?

[jjdbike]

Hello folks,

I've done Dino ribs and loved them. They're a tad expensive and are a time commitment. I want to have some colleagues over for a BBQ lunch. I'm thinking about trying beef back ribs (from prime rib roast) because they're less money and hopefully take less time.

I have a couple questions please:

*Do you keep or remove the membrane? I've heard it's the only thing holding them together.

*250 - 275, does it matter?

*After I get good color and solid back, when I wrap, does adding liquid or fat to the wrap do anything other than soften bark?

*Does approx 2 hours in smoke, 2 hours wrapped in foil, 10 mins uncovered to set sauce, hour rest, sound about right? By the way, I will be using the KBQ which dues to it's convective air flow, cooks about 20% faster than most offsets.*

*Is a long rest, e.g., 2 - 4 hours as beneficial w/ these smaller - thinner beef bac ribs as it is for a larger cut?

*I'm asking about timing as my get together is a noon lunch. Wondering if I need to start at O'Dark 30, or cook night before and hold in oven at 165, though I'd be worried they'd dry out.

*Any other tips or things I should keep in mind?

Thanks in advance!
​​​​​​​JD

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I have never seen Baby Back Beef Ribs only pork. Yes I take off the membrane. Last time I cooked them on my Large BGE. Did 4 racks- used a rib rack I believe it was 4 hrs at 250. I did not wrap and had tom put the sauce on after the cook as 4 racks wont sit flat on the Egg. We were hungry so the rest time was when they were individually sliced. Turned out very good

 

[jjdbike]

I have never seen Baby Back Beef Ribs only pork. Yes I take off the membrane. Last time I cooked them on my Large BGE. Did 4 racks- used a rib rack I believe it was 4 hrs at 250. I did not wrap and had tom put the sauce on after the cook as 4 racks wont sit flat on the Egg. We were hungry so the rest time was when they were individually sliced. Turned out very good

Thanks,
I'm guessing they're called beef back ribs (i.e. from the prime rib), as opposed to baby backs which are pork.
Thanks again,
JD

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

Remove the membrane.
Rub.
Smoke.
Don't wrap.
Probe tender between the bones.
10 minutes to rest.

They're done when they're done.

 

[Smoke Dawg]

I season like I would a prime rib or rib eye. I don't remove the membrane but do if you like. Cook membrane side down. Wrapping is optional depending on timing - It will speed up the cook and help tenderize - Don't keep wrapped too long or the meat will fall off the bone (Membrane on will help with this).

I don't sauce beef, do what floats your boat.

Looks like you will get opinions all over the board on this one.

Silverfinger is the resident expert!

 

[jjdbike]

I season like I would a prime rib or rib eye. I don't remove the membrane but do if you like. Cook membrane side down. Wrapping is optional depending on timing - It will speed up the cook and help tenderize - Don't keep wrapped too long or the meat will fall off the bone (Membrane on will help with this).

I don't sauce beef, do what floats your boat.

Looks like you will get opinions all over the board on this one.

Silverfinger is the resident expert!

Thanks much!
JD

 

[Big George's BBQ]

+ 1 on Silverfinger

 

[1MoreFord]

It's been a Long time since I've cooked any but aren't beef back ribs the one's that are often/regularly heavily (over) trimmed to keep more meat on the rib roast and rib eyes. If so they can be hard to find with enough meat left on them.

 

[SmokeOCD]

I don't remove the membrane, membrane side down during the cook, as already mentioned. I do not wrap, I find there's enough fat that it doesn't dry out.
Chimichurri sauce is great to counter the heavy/fatty mouthfeel.

 

[ODU Dad]

Sorry for one of "those replies."

IMO, the real problem with beef baby back ribs is that they are the bones attached to standing rib roasts (ie, prime rib). Unless you are buying the entire roast and doing your own butchering (and paying for the whole thing :shock, the processors are going to cut as much of the meat away from the bones as possible because it makes the most financial sense for them. Processing pork is not the same, as its baby back ribs have some panache, versus the loin that is attached.

I have made them only once and they were good...and they were in the bargain bin because they were reaching their sell-by date. Otherwise, what you will be doing is to pay a pretty hefty amount for bones with some connective tissue in between.

 

[blackdogbbq21]

My experience has been the same as others, it's very difficult to find them with some decent meat still attached.


If you have your heart set on cooking them i would encourage a test cook just to make sure you are satisfied with end product before you serve them to a group

 

[thirdeye]

I peel the membrane, use a 275° pit temp for about 3 hours, spraying as needed after hour 1. Between hour 3 and 4, I'll wrap for an hour and then check and adjust time as needed. I rest mine about an hour.

It's rare to find a rack without shiners, so be prepared for some bones to cook themselves out.

 

[jjdbike]

Thanks everyone,
So it seems I’m in for a 6 hour tube from pit to table.
I’ll post a report.
Best regards,
JD

 

[Gore]

Thanks everyone,
So it seems I’m in for a 6 hour tube from pit to table.
I’ll post a report.
Best regards,
JD

With beef ribs, the time really depends on how meaty they are. I've cooked them in 3-4 hours and they've also taken 7-8 hours -- no rest. The latter was a bit of a problem as we had company that day and dinner was very late. As said previously, "they're done when they're done." I would be more inclined to start them early and rest them, like a brisket. The don't call them brisket on a stick for nothin'.

 

[jjdbike]

With beef ribs, the time really depends on how meaty they are. I've cooked them in 3-4 hours and they've also taken 7-8 hours -- no rest. The latter was a bit of a problem as we had company that day and dinner was very late. As said previously, "they're done when they're done." I would be more inclined to start them early and rest them, like a brisket. The don't call them brisket on a stick for nothin'.

Thanks Gore!

From what I've read, fining meaty beef back ribs is uncommon. I wouldn't mind getting several racks of less meaty ribs so they would cook quicker. Don't need much rib meat because we will have other foods to supplement, e.g. smoked jalapeño poppers, smoked tuna, smoked cream cheese, and "sashimi nachos".

Your said you'd be more inclined to finish them early and rest like brisket. This event / meal begins at 12:00 noon on Saturday and I work Friday untill 3:30.

Would you recommend smoking until nearly tender (e.g. 185 - 190ish), and holding wrapped in the oven overnight at 165. Then finishing on 275 smoker w/ sauce? I believe my guests will enjoy them sauced. The only other options I see are either getting up at O'Dark 30 and starting the smoker and cooking in the cold and dark, or, smoking the weekend before, freezing and vacuum packing, and reheating in sous vide. The latter option would sure be easier and allow me to sleep.

The other factor I'll point out, My KBQ, because of the convective air movement, cooks about 20% quicker than more traditional stick burners.

Your thoughts?
JD

 

[Gore]

That's a tough one. In my experience that's a tough time to have beef ribs ready, as mine have taken longer than others who have posted here. I really don't consider myself an expert and would rather listen to others here, but if I were doing the cooking with the ribs I've had, which were meatier than what thirdeye showed, I would probably start them about midnight at around 200*, then go to sleep and check them when I got up in the morning around 8:00, then adjust based on what I see. I do this with brisket, and typically crank the temp up at that time for a couple hours, then wrap for a few hours depending on how it is going and then rest for a few hours until dinner. I don't like babysitting food and I don't like getting up too early in the morning, which is why I do it this way.