October 19, 2022

Smoked Beef Short Ribs

Short ribs that have been slowly smoked over charcoal and wood. The meat has a nice dark bark and has pulled off of the bone.

Smoked short ribs are a delicious BBQ treat. I like to call them mini individual briskets due to the fact that when they are smoked their meat will taste similar to a brisket, but they can be customized to whomever you are cooking for. Slowly smoked over charcoal and wood, these little BBQ guys will impress anyone.

What can I season them with?

Any types of flavors that you like! My favorite way to have them is to buy a bunch and season half with our Open Fire BBQ Rub and the other half with our Open Fire BPS Rub. This is what I mean when I say they are customizable. Since they are small and individual, you can season each one a different way. Just rub the short ribs with a binder like mustard (as discussed in previous posts) and then generously season all over. Boom – your short ribs are ready to be smoked!

Short ribs that have been generously seasoned all over, ready for the smoker — Short ribs that have been generously seasoned with our Open Fire BBQ Rub and Open Fire BPS Rub

Preparing the smoker.

It’s time to prepare the smoker. First thing is to set your smoker or grill up for indirect cooking. Then light some charcoal and let your smoker stabilize at around 250ºF – 275ºF. Once stabilized, add some smoking wood of your choice. I’ve been using cherry wood a lot lately, but any other type will work just fine (ex: pecan, hickory, apple, oak, etc). And just like that, it’s time to add the short ribs!

Time to cook the short ribs!

Now that the smoker temperature has stabilized, put the short ribs on bone side down. I like to check on them every hour, spritzing with some apple cider vinegar when I do. For more information on spritzing, check out my BBQ Smoked Ribs post. I’ll also start checking the internal temperature after the second hour. That’s really all that you need to do until they hit an internal temperature of 203ºF and they feel like butter when probed with a thermometer.

Short ribs smoking mid-cook. The bark has started to form but the meat has not pulled away from the bone yet. — Short ribs slowly smoking away

Wait! The short ribs finished cooking earlier than expected.

This can certainly happen with a lot of BBQ meats. Since these individual short ribs are smaller than say a brisket, they tend to not take as long to cook (around 4-5 hours). The timing can still be tough to predict though. If they happen to finish a little too early, here is what I do:

Remove the cooked short ribs from the smoker
Wrap them in foil
Take the foil wrapped short ribs and wrap in a large towel
Place that towel with the short ribs in it in an empty cooler
Close the cooler until you’re ready to eat

This towel/cooler trick also works really well on brisket, pulled pork, and other large BBQ meats. I utilize this trick all the time. It will keep your meats nice and warm while simultaneously allowing them to rest.

Smoked short ribs that are just about done. A nice barks has been formed and the meat is pulling away from the bone. — Smoked short ribs that are just about ready to be pulled from the smoker

Enjoy these easy BBQ bites!

Smoked short ribs are incredibly easy to pull off but are extremely flavorful and delicious. With only a few steps to do: season, smoke, and spritz, these are perfect for a day that you’re craving BBQ but you aren’t necessarily in the mood for some “involved” cooking. Try this one out and get creative! If you have six short ribs, then season all six differently. Have fun and see which one you like best. Whatever you end up doing, I am certain you’ll enjoy your “mini individual briskets”.