Smoked Beef Back Ribs with Bold Texas BBQ Sauce

Ray Sheehan

Published Author

BBQ Buddha

[email protected]

Ingredients:
2 racks beef back ribs approximately 5 lbs.
½ cup beef broth
olive oil

Simple Beef Rub:

Ingredients:
½ cup ground black pepper
3 tbsp seasoned salt such as Lawry’s
3 tbsp kosher salt 1 tbsp granulated garlic
2 tsp onion powder

Bold Texas BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups ketchup
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp onion powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp molasses
2 tsp prepared yellow mustard Hickory or mesquite wood

Directions:

Prepare the rub:
In a medium-sized bowl combine all the rub ingredients and set it aside. Leftover rub may be stored in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Prepare the BBQ sauce:
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients and bring it to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat to low and simmer until it’s slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Keep the sauce warm until ready to use.

Prepare a smoker to cook at 250 degrees.

Peel the membrane off the back side of the ribs and discard it by lifting the corner using a sharp knife, then grasping the membrane with a paper towel and pulling it off. Discard the membrane. Rub the ribs with a light coating of olive oil and season evenly on both sides with the rub. Let them sit for 30 minutes to let the rub set up.

Once the cooker reaches temperature, add the wood, and place the ribs, meat side up, in the cooker directly on the grate and cook for 2 1/2 hours. Flip the ribs and cook for 30 minutes more. Wrap each rack of ribs in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil meat side up with a 1/4 cup of the beef broth, sealing each package tightly. Place the foil-wrapped ribs back in the smoker and cook for about an hour or until the ribs reach an internal temperature of 205-208 degrees and a thermometer pushed into the meat gives little resistance.

Remove the ribs from the smoker and open the foil packages to vent for 5- 10 minutes. Discard the foil and transfer the ribs to a sheet pan. Brush the ribs with the warm sauce on both sides to coat. Place the ribs back on the cooker for 15 minutes to set the glaze. Remove the ribs from the smoker and allow to rest for an additional 20 minutes.

Slice the ribs and arrange on a platter.

Serve with warm BBQ sauce on the side.