Beef ribs - how long?


 
N

N Delo

TVWBB Member
I've been looking online for the answer, but I've found everything from 4 hours to 7 hours.

So, I'm looking for opinions - if cooked un-folied at 250 how long does the average rack of beef spares take?

Why am I seeing such a variance in cooking times online? Is there something I'm missing?
 
My guess for the variance is that beef ribs are very hard to find that have very much meat left on them. If you are lucky to find them that have a good bit of meat they will take a lot longer to cook. Just cook them till they are tender, Poke them with a thermapen or a skewer, if it goes in with hardly any resistance they are done.
 
You are also rendering out a lot of fat. I have had good luck with them cooking to between 5-6 hours. Look for a good pull back from the bone and tenderness. I have not foiled mine just used a rub mostly of salt & pepper.
 
I've bought some Angus beef rib's that were nice & meaty cooked them on the kettle @about 300 in a little under 4 hour's...They came out great.
 
N Delo said:
I've been looking online for the answer, but I've found everything from 4 hours to 7 hours.

So, I'm looking for opinions - if cooked un-folied at 250 how long does the average rack of beef spares take?

Why am I seeing such a variance in cooking times online? Is there something I'm missing?
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the reason you are seeing such a variance is because there are many factors to take into consideraton. the weight of the rack due to either meat, fat, bone, or all three is definitely going to play an impact on cooking time. so will the temperature that the meat is being cooked at, not to mention what the ambient temperature is where the meat is being cooked at. so to play it safe, the best answer is, they will take as long as they take in order to get done. but use some of the suggestions as guidelines and once you cook them a few times you will have a better guage as to how long it takes. sometimes focusing on time rather than tenderness is a pitfall. cook until probe tender and give yourself plenty of time and just enjoy the cook. barbecue is supposed to be kept simple and be fun. just dive right in and good luck.
 
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David B. said:
so to play it safe, the best answer is, they will take as long as they take in order to get done. sometimes focusing on time rather than tenderness is a pitfall. cook until probe tender .
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I will second that 100%.....I ruined a real nice rack of beef ribs not too long ago because I assumed that they they would respond well to the 3-2-1 method. I should've been checking more often and I dried them out wicked bad. My own fault , but lesson learned. They're done when they're done and these times are really ballpark estimates.
 
On the other hand, don't check every 20 minutes either. After the 3 hr mark, then check once every half hour or so then more frequently as they seem to get "closer".
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I find that pork ribs, done around 240 on my WSM, are cooked to my liking at around the 5 hour mark (give or take). I wanted to try to throw some pork ribs and beef ribs on at the same time for friends and family and was really wondering if I should start the beef ribs earlier than the pork ones. I guess I should do a few trial runs first (eating the results!) to see how long my cooker takes for the size I seems to be able to get at my local butcher.
 
Frank H said:
I will second that 100%.....I ruined a real nice rack of beef ribs not too long ago because I assumed that they they would respond well to the 3-2-1 method. I should've been checking more often and I dried them out wicked bad. My own fault , but lesson learned. They're done when they're done and these times are really ballpark estimates.
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Wicked Bad! LOL! When I read that I automatically thought...this guys from Boston! I wasn't to far off!
 
If you find a great way to do beef ribs at 250, let me know as it seems too low. Beef ribs and spares are not similar at all IMO.

In general I try for 325f for 1hr 15min, then foil for 1 hour, then back on grate until they probe.
 
Welton F. said:
There are a few different cuts of beef ribs, which a big factor in how long they take to cook. http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/zen_of_beef_ribs.html
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VERY big factor. The thicker the cut the longer it is going to take.

I cook at 275° for 4-5 hours until good color. Foil for an hour and then should be getting tender. Out of the foil for 15 minutes to set the bark.

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I made ribs today which I posted in the photo gallery. It took me about 2 hours. At 300 degrees no water pan just a foil pan to catch the drippings. Around 2 hours maybe 2 hours and 30 min.
 
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