Beef Ribs


 
D

Darin Hearn

TVWBB Fan
I am going to smoke some beef ribs this weekend. I have not smoked them before so I thought I would ask, what rub do you use on beef ribs? Would you use your brisket rub, because they are beef? Or would you use a sweet rub because they are ribs? Any tips you can give me would be appreciated!
 
Darin,

I like beef ribs with a sugarless rub myself. There is a recipe in the cooking section of this site that gives the recipe for "Yum Yum" rub. The "Yum Yum" rub is a knock-off of the Outback Steakhouse rub they use for steaks and works very well with the ribs.

Beef Ribs with Yum Yum Rub
 
Yep, sugarless is the only way to go with beef.

But that yum-yum rub recipe, while good, had way too much salt for my taste (and that of my guests). What a shame - the ribs were very meaty and were cooked perfectly, but that first impression of overwhelming saltiness was impossible to get past. I have a feeling that with way less salt and a couple of other minor tweaks, this rub recipe is a winner. I'm trying it again today with about 1/4 the amount of salt, and I have a feeling I'll be using the same rub for rib roasts and brisket in the future.

Jeff

p.s..This is my first post here. Thanks for everything that I've learned from this great community, and I look forward to joining the discussion more as BBQ season gets rolling.
 
Jeff,

Welcome aboard. I can tell just looking at that rub that it would be too salty for me as well. The method that Kevin Kruger recommends is to salt your meat first, then wait about 15 minutes for moisture to come to the surface, then apply rub (with no salt). I am on a low salt diet, and find this very appealing as a general practice, since I can control the exact amount of salt, and still get as much or as little of the rub as I wish. The moisture coming to the surface also makes the rub adhere well.
 
Chris,
Thanks for the warm welcome, and I did just that.
David,
I'll have to try that method. Maybe even wiping off most of the "salt water" before applying the saltless rub.
My session is already underway today, but I used about 1/4 the amount of (Celtic Sea) salt and about 1.5X the amount of coarsly ground black pepper. I also used ancho chile powder in place of the pararika, which I'm out of. Hopefully this won't overpower the other flavors.
Thanks for the replies,
Jeff
 
Jeff,

I don't think there is any need to wipe off the moisture that comes to the surface, as in doing so you would leave an unknown amount of salt. I think it is better to measure out the exact amount that you want to use, no more, no less, and apply it to the surface.
 
Agreed.

The salt draws moisture, the moisture allows the rub to adhere well. Waiting a little while after the rub is applied will allow the rub to get moist and more rub can be applied if one wishes a heavier coating of rub.

Salting the meat first and using a saltless rub disconnects the salt variable from the rub allowing the cook control of both the salt and rub variables.
 
Welcome Jeff. I think you made good decisions on the salt and paprika. I just don't get a lot out of paprika personally; the ancho chile will provide more flavor. Let us know how the ribs turned out.
 
As a general comment, many of the rub (and other) recipes I see have what I consider to be excessive salt content. I routinely cut way back on salt content with very good success.
 
Thanks for asking, Paul.
They turned out OK. The flavor was very good, but I think I cooked them a little too long and they were a bit dry for my taste. It was most likely a combimnation of no water, (I use sand) and my having trimmed off a bit too much of the fat that did them in.
Next time I might try a wet rub with roasted garlic paste and a tiny dash of herbs along with the salt and pepper. Or perhaps I'll use the same tasty rub, but leave all of the fat on, baste them a few times during the cook and foil them a bit longer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top