BBQ Beef Short Ribs

Sweet and spicy, beef short ribs are smoked with hickory and applewood for a finger-licking good meal. The meat is falling-apart tender with a perfect crust that has a bit of crunch. The sauce has a surprise ingredient: mango nectar!

You can buy beef ribs in two different cuts: short ribs and back ribs. This recipe uses short ribs, which are taken from the chuck. This recipe is also delicious with lamb or pork ribs, though you will need to adjust the smoke time.

Short ribs can be served with any number of side dishes. If you want grains or starch, try polenta, mashed potatoes, or macaroni salad. Grilled vegetables are also quite tasty, like mushrooms and broccolini.

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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. A close up of glazed smoked short ribs.

These beef short ribs are smoked low and slow and glazed with mango nectar and molasses.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. A close up interior shot of smoked short ribs with a green background.

After smoking for several hours, the meat on the short ribs is super tender and filled with flavor.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. A close up of smoked beef short ribs with a dark crust.

Make sure to vent the foil packaging after cooking so you don’t damage the beautiful crust.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. A close up of smoked beef short ribs with a dark crust.

BBQ Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Sweet and spicy, beef short ribs are smoked with hickory and applewood for a finger-licking good meal.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine North America

Difficulty Seasoned

Method Smoke

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 20

Servings

Calories 704kcal

Author adminsaffron

Equipment

smoker
3 hickory wood chunks
3 applewood chunks
aluminum foil

Ingredients

3 bone-in beef short ribs (about 3 ½ pounds or 1.5kg)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 tablespoons Slap Yo’ Daddy "Love Me Tender" All Purpose Rub -Hot
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 can mango nectar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

Trim excess fat cap from the beef short rib.
Rub all the surfaces with mayonnaise. This will help ensure a tacky surface for the rub to stick and it also helps to tenderize the meat.
Apply enough rub on all exposed surfaces until you cannot see the meat underneath (a medium-heavy coat).
Let sit uncovered in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Heat a smoker to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Once it gets to temperature, add three tennis-sized chunks of hickory wood and three tennis-sized chunks of apple wood.
Smoke the short ribs until the crust or bark is formed, 2 to 3 hours. Once the crust starts to form (about 90 minutes), spray the ribs with plain tap water from a spray bottle. Repeat the spraying every 15 minutes.
Once the crust has set, remove the ribs from the smoker and place them in the middle of a sheet of aluminum foil.
Sprinkle the dark brown sugar evenly on the ribs. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of mango nectar over the ribs. Turn the ribs over and repeat the brown sugar and mango nectar on the other side.
Wrap the ribs tightly in the foil and return to the pit.
Check for tenderness using a bamboo skewer after 45 minutes by opening the foil. The skewer will go through like a muffin when it is done. If not yet tender, close the foil and check in 15 minutes. Keep checking until the meat is probe tender.
Remove when done and open the foil to vent (this step is very important else the ribs will overcook).
Once the ribs have cooled a bit, remove from the foil pouch. Mix some molasses with the au jus in the foil and brush the molasses/au jus on the ribs. Then apply a thin coat of your favorite barbecue sauce. Give it a dust of cayenne pepper before you slice and serve.