My first Beef Baby Back Ribs

Theophan

I've cooked beef short ribs before, but inside, braising them.  I don't think I've smoked any kind of beef ribs before, but all of the pictures I've seen here have looked wonderful.  So I grabbed some beef baby back ribs and smoked them today (hickory).  I was astonished at how quickly they were done.  I didn't time it exactly, but I really think it was only about 3-4 hours.  I smoked them for 2h at 250°-260°, then decided I'd better crank the heat up if I wanted to eat by 6:30 or so, so I raised the temp to 350°-360°, and when I went to poke them around 5:30, the probe went in with no resistance at all, and they bent very easily, so I took them off and ate early.  REALLY good!  Just delicious!  Definitely will do this again.  I put Dizzy Pig Cow Lick on half the rack, and Montreal on the other half, and they were both delicious, but the Cow Lick was the best.

RalphieBoy

Looks really Good

mlc2013

they have been my favorite lately as well

R2Egg2Q

Looks great. I was hungry before looking and starving now!

gdenby

They look fine. The meat on them is what is left after cutting rib-eye steaks away, so it is quite tender, and easy to cook. Depending on how aggressive the butcher was, sometimes there is very little meat left.

lousubcap

The beef back ribs beat their pork cousins every time as you just found out.  Great cook right there.  

Theophan

Thanks to all for the kind comments!  

gdenby said:

... Depending on how aggressive the butcher was, sometimes there is very little meat left.

Yeah -- when I picked the rack up in the store to look at it, I was wondering if there was even enough meat left on the bones to be worth eating!  I'd never cooked them before, but gave it a shot, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much meat there was after all, and at how tasty it was.

Shiff

It is hard to find back ribs with a lot of meat. This is why I like to cook either Plate Ribs or Chuck Short Ribs. If you get them, try to get the full slab instead of letting the meat cutter cut them into little ribs.  They cook similarly to the back ribs but usually take a little longer since they have more meat. 

caliking

I like that bark!

And +1 to what @Shiff said.  You may have to ask for them at the meat counter, as most stores don't put them out with the rest of the meats.

fishlessman

when you see a rack with meat on it grab it, even if you have to freeze it.   beef ribs must be a huge after thought in my area,  they cut them individually mostly here and im finding them in the soup bone section of all places with good meat on them

PoppasGrill

Looks great, I’ve been looking for them in my area but have not been able to find them.

lousubcap

@PoppasGrill - depending on where you live they can definitely be a challenge in the summer months.  Try a local butcher as that's my source and they are much more available in the run-up to Christmas.  Seems many want a boneless rib roast.  But I can order them by Tuesday of the desired week and get them by Thursday PM for a weekend food fest.  
FWIW-

Shiff

If you have a hard time locating beef ribs, see if you have a Restaurant Depot near you. They always have them.