In partnership with Safeway
May is the official start to BBQ season, and for many, it’s the time to break out the grills, ensure you have fuel for your grills and begin planning a summer of tasty meals. For us, BBQ season is year-round, and we love cooking everything we can on the Traeger. To kick off the official month in earnest, we stopped by our local Safeway store and picked up the ingredients for this amazing Asian Style Beef Back Ribs that we cooked up on the Traeger.
BEEF BACK RIBS: THE PERFECT START TO BBQ SEASON
Beef back ribs are a cut that are fairly easy to find in stores, but are something that most people shy away from because they’re not as popular as pork ribs. I, however, love beef back ribs because in many ways they’re like the delicious bone and meat piece of a bone-in ribeye. The meat attached to the bone is well-marbled and tasty, and when cooked low and slow in the Traeger, it comes out tender and delicious.
These beef back ribs came from our local Safeway store, where the meat counter has a butcher on staff. Our hometown butcher! As a result, the cuts are fresh and well-done and you know that the beef back ribs came right from a primal cut while the butcher was making other steaks– like ribeyes. We opted for a 4-bone set of beef back ribs– but you can certainly pick up a larger rack too. For our family, 4 bones was great.
FLAVORS INSPIRED BY A FAVORITE DISH
These Asian style beef back ribs were briefly marinated in a flavorful blend of Asian-inspired ingredients and then put straight on the grill with the marinade still painted on. Because soy sauce is so salty as-is, we opted not to season ribs with any rub and instead let the marinade bring out the flavor of the beef.
As we were considering ways to cook up these ribs, we were inspired by some of our favorite flavors– especially Kalbi– which is the term used for flanken-style beef ribs commonly found in Asian restaurants. One of the secret ingredients in an amazing Kalbi dish is fresh grated pear, which is blended into the marinade.
GETTING INGREDIENTS AT SAFEWAY
Because our local Safeway is also kicking off grilling season with fresh ingredients, we decided to do a twist on a Kalbi marinade for these ribs and included fresh peach in the sauce. We picked up a couple ripe fresh peaches at Safeway and then used the star side of our box grater to create a pulpy juice for the sauce. The sweetness of the peach came through really well and we’ll definitely be doing this again!
Once the ribs were coated in the marinade, we turned on the Traeger to 225* and smoked them for about 4 hours. Our goal was to have the internal temperature of the ribs reach 165* before wrapping them.
In the butcher paper wrap, we included some more brown sugar and some of the reserved marinade and put the package back on the grill until the internal temperature of the ribs hit 203*. In all, this 4-bone set took about 6 hours to cook.
SERVING UP ASIAN STYLE BEEF BACK RIBS
To serve, we picked up jasmine rice and a stir-fry kit from Safeway to round out this perfect summery meal. The stir-fry kit had all the ingredients chopped and ready to go, and we just cooked them up quickly in a hot pan while the ribs rested.
Just because May is officially the kick-off to BBQ season doesn’t mean you have to stick to burgers and hot dogs on the grill. With a little planning (we picked up our groceries around lunchtime) and some slow smoke on the wood-fired grill, we had an amazing fusion meal by dinnertime. And it was all made easy and simple thanks to our local Safeway store.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Beef back ribs from the Safeway meat counter
- Signature Select Soy Sauce
- Signature Select Light Brown Sugar
- Yellow Peaches
- Garlic Chili Sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Garlic
- White jasmine rice
- Fresh Cut vegetable stir fry kit (we picked asparagus and mushrooms)
- Cilantro, green onions and sesame seeds for garnish
WHY COOK ASIAN STYLE BEEF BACK RIBS ON THE TRAEGER?
Cooking beef back ribs low-and-slow on the Traeger is the best way to go. These ribs are best cooked on a smoker because the lower temperature and longer cooking time affords the meat the chance to become tender and succulent. As mentioned, beef back ribs are the same cut of meat that comes off of a boneless ribeye or a standing rib/prime rib roast. If you’ve ever followed my prime rib recipe on the website, you’ll see that I recommend slicing the bones off the roast before cooking, and then tying them back onto the roast. This is just the same as a rack of beef back ribs. They’re my father in law’s favorite part of a Traeger-grilled prime rib roast– he often takes them home and gives them a longer cook and coating in sauce to result in a delicious beefy rib meal.
By cooking a cut like beef back ribs on the Traeger Timberline XL for a long, slow cook, you are giving the proteins in the meat the opportunity to begin breaking apart, which makes the meat very tender. Of course with a Traeger, too, you have the opportunity to imbue the meat with some delicious wood-fired flavor. And you’re cooking outside. It’s the perfect dish to cook to kick off BBQ season!
STEP-BY-STEP
- Pick up all your ingredients at your local Safeway store.
- Remove beef back ribs from packaging.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a cross-hatch pattern on the back (underside) of the ribs).
- In a shallow pan, combine the ingredients to create the marinade.
- Begin by grating the fresh peach on the box grater, creating a pulpy juice.
- To that juice, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, vinegar and garlic.
- Stir to combine– the sauce will be thick. Reserve 4 tablespoons for later use.
- Place the ribs meat-side-down in the pan and turn to coat.
- Using a spoon or brush, ensure that the marinade covers all the surface of the meat.
- Allow to sit while preheating the grill.
- Preheat the Traeger grill to 225* and use the supersmoke feature.
- When the grill is hot, place the marinated ribs in the center of the grate and close the lid.
- Allow the ribs to smoke for about 4 hours, checking the internal temperature occasionally.
- You want the ribs to reach an internal temperature of 165*.
- When they’ve reached that temperature, pull the ribs from the grill and place them in the center of a big square of butcher paper.
- To the paper, add the reserved sauce and more brown sugar, and then wrap up the ribs tightly.
- Place the package back on the grill and continue cooking at a temperature of 275* until the meat internal temperature reaches 203*.
- Pull the ribs from the Traeger and allow them to rest for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of dinner.
- Cook the rice according to directions (we used our InstantPot).
- Saute the veggie mix in a hot cast iron skillet with a little bit of oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper or soy sauce.
- Then, unwrap the ribs and place them on a cutting board.
- Using a long slicing knife, cut between each bone.
- Serve your Asian style beef back ribs with veggies, rice and extra sauce, if desired.
- Garnish with scallions, cilantro and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Beef Back Ribs on the cutting board Marinating Beef Back Ribs Beef Back Ribs on the Traeger
RECIPES SIMILAR TO ASIAN STYLE BEEF BACK RIBS
As I mentioned in this recipe, we took inspiration from Korean Kalbi ribs for the marinade in this cook. Laden with soy, some spices and brown sugar, Kalbi is based on cross-cut short ribs, also known as flanken ribs. They can be somewhat hard to find, but if you talk to your butcher at your local Safeway store, you should be able to get them custom-cut for you!
I have a recipe for Korean Short Ribs in my cookbook, but a variation is also available here on my website:
Everything used in this recipe was picked up at my local Safeway store, which made for a really easy and fairly spontaneous meal. We stopped into the store around noon and had dinner on the table by 7pm. You can use the Safeway for U program to get great deals and items selected for you based on your preferences. And the online grocery delivery and pickup service can make your day even easier!
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out!
Leave a review below or snap a photo,
share it on Instagram and tag me at @ThisJewCanQue
Asian Style Beef Back Ribs on the Traeger
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Shallow dish or bowl
- Box grater
- Pink butcher paper
- Traeger grill
Ingredients
- 1 rack beef back ribs consider 2 bones per person
- ½ cup Signature Select soy sauce
- ¼ cup Signature Select light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp garlic chili sauce
- 1 peach
- garlic
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- White jasmine rice
- Package of fresh cut vegetables for stir fry
- Sesame seeds, scallions and cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Shop for your ingredients at your local Safeway store
- Unwrap the beef back ribs and pat dry with a paper towel
- Score the back/bone side of the ribs with a sharp knife
- In a pan or bowl, grate the peach until a pulpy juice is made
- To the peach juice, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce and vinegar
- Stir well to combine
- Coat the beef ribs with the marinade on all sides
- Allow the meat to sit with the marinade for about 20 minutes
- Preheat the Traeger Grill to 225* and use the Supersmoke feature
- Smoke the ribs in the grill for about 4 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 165*
- When the ribs hit 165* internal, remove them from the grill
- Place the ribs in the center of a big piece of pink butcher paper
- Add additional sauce and brown sugar to the paper and then wrap the ribs tightly
- Return the package to the grill and bump up the grill heat to 275*
- Allow the ribs to continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 203*
- Once the ribs have reached 203*, pull them from the grill and allow them to cool briefly on the counter
- Serve with cooked rice and stir fried vegetables
Leave a Reply