Texas Smoked Beef Ribs (Dino Ribs)
4-bone plate short ribs, salt and pepper only, smoked over post oak until they jiggle like brisket. The showstopper of Central Texas BBQ.
- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook
- 8-9 hours on the smoker
- Rest
- 30 minutes uncovered
Equipment
- Smoker capable of a steady 275F
- Sharp boning knife (for silverskin)
- Instant-read thermometer
- Spray bottle with water
- Post oak or pecan splits
Ingredients
- 1 plate of beef short ribs (NAMP 123A), 4-bone, 4-5 lbs
- 3 tbsp coarse kosher salt
- 3 tbsp 16-mesh coarse black pepper
- Post oak or pecan wood
- Optional Goldee's-style finishing glaze (see final step)
Method
- 01
Ask your butcher for a 4-bone plate of beef short ribs - the long, thick ones from the chuck plate, not the short thin flanken cuts. Look for even meat thickness across all four bones.
- 02
Trim the silverskin off the top of the meat and any hard surface fat. Leave the bone-side membrane on - it holds the ribs together during the cook.
- 03
Season 50/50 salt and pepper, heavy on all sides. No binder needed - the surface moisture holds the rub.
- 04
Fire the smoker to 275F with post oak. Place ribs bone-side down. Close the lid and cook undisturbed for 3 hours.
- 05
After 3 hours the bark should be dark and set. Spritz with water every 30-45 minutes to keep the surface from drying, but do not wrap - beef ribs build their bark uncovered.
- 06
Cook until internal 203F in the meat between the bones AND a probe slides through the meat with no resistance. Total time is usually 8-9 hours. The meat will visibly pull back from the bones by about 1/2 inch.
- 07
Rest uncovered on a rack for 30 minutes so the bark stays firm. Do not wrap during the rest or the crust will steam and go soft.
- 08
Slice between the bones. Serve one bone per person on butcher paper. No sauce - or, for the Goldee's-style finish (their Meat Church collab), whisk 220g brown sugar, 120g ketchup, 120g apple cider vinegar, 10g soy sauce, 8g garlic powder, 3.5g onion powder, 3g kosher salt, 1g Tabasco, and 0.5g black pepper in a saucepan, simmer 10 minutes, and brush lightly over the ribs in the last 20 minutes on the smoker.
Beef ribs are done by feel, not time or temperature alone. When the meat jiggles like jello when you shake the plate, they're ready.
How to serve
- One bone per person on butcher paper — that's the play.
- Sides that stand up: pinto beans, potato salad, elote, and a cold Mexican lager.
Refrigerate uncut ribs up to 4 days wrapped in foil. Reheat wrapped in foil with a splash of beef stock at 275F for 20-25 minutes.