Chuck Short Ribs

[Mike Martin]

I bought a 4 bone rack on sale this week. I've never done them before. I plan on doing them on my Performer this weekend. Planning on using cherry. From what I have read you cook them for around 4 hours at 325 to about 200. One recipe I read had you foiling them after 2 1/2 hours for another 2 hours. Any tips would be appreciated

 

[MickHLR]

Ah, good old Beef Chuck Short Ribs (NAMP 130). The only thing better, to me, is Beef Plate Short Ribs (NAMP 123A). But, you’ll smoke them the same way. Rub with Kosher salt and coarse black pepper, only. Smoke with bones down for 6-7 hours at 250*-275* smoker temp. And, I'd never wrap beef ribs...even though I do spritz mine a couple of times in the last couple of hours of the smoke.

This is seriously some fantastic eating, and one of the easiest pieces of meat to smoke. I've tried different rubs through the years, but after talking to Wayne Mueller, from Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, TX, I've started using just salt and pepper...same for brisket. That's what most Texas barbecue joints do, and really, that is all beef needs. But, Wayne said his rub is 1-part salt to 9-parts pepper...and even though I think his beef ribs are the best there is, I don't think he uses quite that much pepper. I normally go 2-parts pepper to 1-part salt.

The plate ribs (NAMP 123A) are 3-bone racks and consist of ribs 6-8 in the plate area behind the brisket. The chuck ribs (NAMP 130) are the 4-bone racks consisting of ribs 2-5 in the chuck area above the brisket. Some Texas barbecue joints do the plate ribs, and some do the chuck ribs. Wayne Mueller told me he did the chuck ribs for years, but changed about 5 years ago to the plate ribs. He says you get more meat on the plate ribs…and I have to agree.

And, they are really easy to smoke…believe it or not. For something that tastes that good, you’d think they’d be harder to smoke.

This pic is from a smoke I did a month or so ago...4 racks of the 3-bone plate ribs. Each rib ended up being a pound to a pound and a half.

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And, this one I did a couple of weeks ago. A spatchcocked turkey breast, one rack of chuck ribs (top right), and one rack of plate ribs (bottom right). The ribs took about 6 1/2 hours and the turkey took about 4 1/2 hours. I just put the turkey on the smoker 2 hours after I started the ribs.

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Good luck...I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

 

[Mike Martin]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to the cook.