Smoked Beef Back Ribs

Beef back ribs come from the same cut as prime rib, and while they may not have as much meat on top, they make up for it with big beefy flavor and killer bark.

Best of all, they cook in less than half the time as smoked short ribs, are easier to manage, and are a whole lot more affordable.

This is my go-to when I want that smoky rib fix without spending all day by the smoker.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Beef back ribs – These aren’t as meaty as short ribs, but they’re rich and filling. Plan on about one rack per hungry adult. When buying, look for ribs with good marbling and the most meat between the bones for the best flavor and texture.
• Olive oil – I like to use olive oil as a binder when I’m smoking beef ribs, but you can alternatively use mustard, Worcestershire, or hot sauce. 
• Brisket rub -You can whip up a batch of our homemade brisket rub, or use your favorite store-bought beef rub. 

Equipment you’ll need

• Knife – I don’t remove the membrane from my beef back ribs, but I do like to take a knife and score the membrane to allow the seasoning to penetrate the meat on both sides. Our Smoke Kitchen boning knife is the perfect tool for this job. 
• Smoker or pellet grill – I smoked this rack on my Traeger Woodridge Pro but any smoker than can hold a temperature of 250°F for at least three hours will work.

Where beef back ribs come from

Beef back ribs can be found along the back of the cow just behind the shoulder.

They are the bones that you will find in a prime rib roast or attached to a bone-in ribeye steak. When a butcher is cutting boneless ribeye steaks, they may remove the back ribs as a whole slab and that’s where your rack of beef back ribs will come from.

Most of the meat is found between the bones rather than on top, but what’s there is packed full of great marbling and solid beefy flavor. 

Beef back ribs don’t get the hype of short ribs, but they’re packed with flavor and cook in half the time—making them an underrated BBQ secret.

Where to buy beef back ribs? 

Your best bet when shopping for beef back ribs is to ask your butcher. With boneless ribeyes being one of the most popular cuts of steak in the U.S., it’s almost guaranteed that your butcher will be able to provide you with racks of beef back ribs easily. 

Many grocery stores carry beef back ribs pre-packaged in the meat department, and you’ll often find these sold in two packs. I get my beef back ribs from my local H-E-B, and they typically come in a two-pack. 

If you can’t source beef back ribs locally, there are great options for finding them online and having them shipped to your house. I’ve had good luck sourcing these ribs online in the past from Porter Road. 

How to make smoked beef back ribs 

1. Score the membrane

Remove the ribs from the cryovac or packaging, then pat them dry with a paper towel.

Unlike pork ribs, you don’t need to remove the membrane when you smoke beef back ribs. The membrane will help keep the ribs intact during the smoking process and protect the meat from the heat. However, I do like to use a knife to score the membrane in a cross-hatch pattern to allow the seasoning to penetrate the meat from all sides. 

2. Apply the rub

Once your ribs are patted dry, you can coat them in a thin layer of olive oil to help the seasoning adhere to the meat evenly and give you an even bark.

If you prefer, you can use mustard, Worcestershire sauce, or hot sauce as a binder—the goal is just to coat them lightly to help the seasoning stick. 

After applying your binder, you can season the ribs liberally on all sides with the brisket rub or your favorite store-bought beef rub.

When your ribs are seasoned, you can let them rest at room temperature while you fire up the smoker. 

2. Fire up the smoker 

I like to smoke my beef back ribs at 250°F. I’ve found that it gives them enough time to soak up plenty of smoky flavor without drying out. You can alternatively smoke them at 225°F, but you will need to add an extra hour to the cooking time.

You can also run them hot and fast at temperatures as high as 300°F, but you risk drying them out at higher temperatures, so it’s important to keep an eye on them during the cooking process if you opt for a hot and fast smoke. 

I used my Traeger Woodridge Pro pellet grill with hickory blend pellets.

3. Smoke those ribs 

Once your smoker is preheated, you can place the ribs directly on the grates with the bone side facing down.

The rest of the cooking process is pretty hands-off. You can spritz your ribs during the process, but I don’t think it’s totally necessary. 

I’ve done beef back ribs in many different ways in the past, and I’ve found that wrapping them isn’t really necessary. The cooking time is short enough that they don’t lose too much moisture during the cooking process, so wrapping them is just a waste of butcher paper, in my opinion. 

If you do want to wrap your back ribs during the cooking process, I would do it around the two-hour mark. Before you wrap them, you want to make sure that the bark is set (firm) so that you don’t compromise the bark.

I do not recommend wrapping beef back ribs in aluminum foil. I’ve done it before and found that the ribs steamed too much in the wrap and overcooked quickly. 

They’ll take about three hours to finish cooking, but the key is to cook them to temperature, not time. 

You want to let the ribs cook until they reach an internal temperature of 200°F in the center of the rack. The best way to check the temperature of your ribs is with an instant-read thermometer. I use my Thermoworks ThermaPen One to check the temperature during the cooking process. 

4. Rest

Once your ribs have reached an internal temperature of 200°F in the center of the rack, you can remove them from the smoker and let them rest. It’s important to let them rest for at least 30 minutes to allow the ribs to cool and the juices in the meat to redistribute. 

If you’re not quite ready to eat them yet, you can also rest them in a dry cooler or Cambro for as long as three hours. 

5. Slice

When you’re ready to serve the ribs, you can take a knife and slice between the bones.

The majority of the meat on beef back ribs will be found between the ribs (as opposed to on top of the bones like you would find on beef plate ribs or pork ribs). I always try to aim to slice right in the middle of each set of bones so that I’m left with an equal amount of meat on each rib. 

What to serve with smoked beef back ribs 

Smoked beef back ribs are extremely versatile and pair wonderfully with many different BBQ sides. Whatever you like to serve alongside your brisket or steaks will also go great with beef back ribs.

Here are some of my favorite sides: 

Smoked beef back ribs recipe

Smoked beef back ribs are an underrated BBQ gem—rich, flavorful, and easier to cook than you might think. With the right seasoning and a steady low-and-slow smoke, you’ll get tender, beefy ribs with incredible bark.

If you try this recipe, leave a rating below and let us know how it turned out! Got questions? Drop them in the comments, and we’ll be happy to help.