Beef Ribs on the Traeger

In partnership with Meater

My ultimate favorite bite of BBQ is hands-down this dish– Traeger smoked beef ribs. The act of cooking beef dino bones low and slow until tender and succulent is an act of love and glory. And when it’s time to impress family and friends or just enjoy the best bites of BBQ around, we go for these beef ribs on the Traeger. 

THE BEST BBQ BITE AROUND

My first taste of smoked beef ribs was in Austin Texas about a decade ago. We were there in the heat of summer– and despite the incredibly high temperatures outside during our visit, the lines for BBQ were still long and impressive. We hit all the biggies– Franklin, Terry Blacks and Snow’s– and tasted some amazing BBQ. But by far the most memorable was our just-off-the-airplane stop at LA BBQ where we got one of the last beef ribs they had available for the day. 

So any opportunity to try to perfect the recipe in my backyard and recreate the perfect bites of BBQ is a chance for me to improve my skills. With the help of a Meater wireless thermometer system, my beef ribs on the Traeger have gotten nearly perfect and I encourage you to give this recipe a try. 

MEATER MAKES IT EASIER

The most challenging thing, I think, about cooking beef ribs on the Traeger is that every piece of meat is different (just like briskets, pork shoulders, etc). What I’ve found as we have embarked on a life of BBQ all the time is that using a Meater thermometer system has made me a better griller. The ability to set desired temperatures, monitor progress on the app, have a countdown guide (so the wife stops asking!) and a digital record of my cooks each time has really improved my BBQ game.

WHAT KIND OF BEEF RIB TO BUY

The first step in achieving Texas-BBQ quality beef ribs on the Traeger is to ensure that you buy the right cut. Go to your local butcher and order these specifically. You may have to order them ahead of time, but I am finding that they are becoming more common in the backyard BBQ world, and therefore you will have an easier time finding them. But certainly plan ahead in whatever you do. If you order them in the mail, they’ll come frozen and will require 2 days to defrost in the fridge. You don’t want to rush the process. 

A PRECISE CUT

Beef plate short ribs are precisely what you’re looking for – which will provide the best results. For specificity, you can tell the butcher that you need the cut “1-2-3 A”. They generally come in a 3-bone set, all in one piece, and about 18” square. More marbling is always better, so getting prime or wagyu will result in more tender and juicy ribs. Basically, this cook becomes brisket on a stick, so the higher quality the beef you start with, the better beef ribs on the Traeger you’ll end up with!

SIMPLE SEASONING FOR BEEF RIBS

For the best results, I think that a salt-and-pepper heavy rub is the best way to bring out the flavor in the meat. For this cook, I used a heavy coating of Spiceology’s Salt Pepper Garlic blend and then topped the whole thing with a coating of my Coffee Junkie blend also from Spiceology. I love how the coffee, garlic and bit of sugar in my Coffee Junkie rub creates an amazing bark on the meat and the salt pepper garlic base brings out the true flavor of the beef. 

Having read and studied Aaron Franklin’s BBQ cookbook, I know that his briskets are seasoned with a 50/50 blend of coarse kosher salt and 16 mesh (coarse) black pepper. I try to emulate that seasoning (with some added umph) for delicious results. 

FLAVOR IN THE BINDER

I don’t always use a binder in my BBQ cooking, but for beef ribs on the Traeger, I find that a hot sauce binder really compliments the meat well. It adds a little heat, some stickiness for the seasoning to adhere to, and helps to better develop the bark. In this cook, I used a Traeger hot sauce and kept it pretty simple. 

LOW AND SLOW ON THE TRAEGER

Beef ribs on the Traeger are going to take a long time. So plan ahead, ensure your meat is defrosted and you start the process well in advance of when you want to serve the meal. As I like to say– and have said since I started this BBQ journey– BBQ is ready when it’s done. Certainly using the Meater has helped us anticipate and estimate when “done” will be, but the best BBQ is that which is given the time and chance to cook until it’s perfect. Not rushed.

TEMPERATURE FOR THE GRILL

I start my beef ribs in a Traeger set to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled. You want these things to enjoy a hot bath of wood-fired flavor for a good long time, establishing the bark and beginning to break down the meat into succulent goodness. I am aiming for the bark to be well established and the internal temperature to reach 165* before I embark on the next step. This took about 5.5 hours with this particular batch of beef ribs.

Once we hit about 165* internally, I pulled the beef ribs from the Traeger, wrapped them in pink butcher paper and put them back in the grill, set to 275* until they were probe tender and read about 203* internally. Again, the Meater was an easy way to do this– I set the goal temperature, kept an eye on the app and let the Traeger and wood pellets imbue the dish with wood-fired smoke until the beef ribs were fall apart tender. 

RESTING IS IMPORTANT

It is important to rest a cook like beef ribs on the Traeger before serving it. Not only does it allow the meat to become a temperature that you can touch and handle, but it helps redistribute the juices throughout the meat, which results in juicer and more tender meat. You can rest the meat in a purpose-built meat cooler (like this one from Cambro), in a regular cooler with some towels, or even in a cold oven if that’s what you have. Regardless, give the meat at least an hour to rest and you will have great results. 

PRIMARY INGREDIENTS

• Beef plate short ribs (cut 1-2-3 A)
• Hot sauce binder
• Salt Pepper Garlic seasoning from Spiceology
• My Coffee Junkie seasoning from Spiceology

WHY COOKING BEEF RIBS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS 

Cooking beef ribs on the Traeger low and slow is the best (might I say only?!) way to recreate Texas-style BBQ in your back yard. With the new features of the Ironwood XL grill that was recently released from Traeger, you have all the bells and whistles of some of the more expensive models but at a more affordable price. The ability to cook at 225* with the super smoke feature makes for extra flavor and an amazing bark development. The design of the grill, paired with the D2 technology that provides super even, consistent and predictable heat, makes smoking beef ribs in your backyard on the Traeger easy, fun and delicious. 

STEP-BY-STEP

• Ensure that your beef ribs are defrosted fully if you purchased them frozen. 
• Preheat your Traeger grill to 225*. 
• Unwrap the ribs and pat dry with a paper towel. 
• Using a sharp paring or boning knife, trim the beef ribs as necessary to ensure an even fat cap. 
• Remove the silver skin on the meat side and score the silver skin on the bone side. 
• Coat the ribs entirely in hot sauce.
• Then season generously with salt pepper garlic blend.
• Dust the beef ribs with Coffee Junkie seasoning. 
• Insert a Meater probe in the thickest part of the meat, being sure not to hit the bones.
• When the grill is hot, place the seasoned ribs in the grill and pair the Meater to your phone. 
• Set the desired temperature for 165*. 
• Allow the ribs to cook at 225* until they reach 165*– about 5 hours. 
• Pull the ribs from the grill and wrap them in pink butcher paper. 
• Adjust the Meater setting to a new goal of 203* and place the meat back in the grill.
• Increase the Traeger temperature to 275* and continue cooking the ribs until probe tender. 
• This should take another 5-6 hours. 
• Remove the beef ribs from the grill and place in a cooler or holding box to rest for at least one hour.
• Using a large slicing knife, cut between the bones and serve your amazing beef ribs. 

ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS

• Here’s another kind of beef short rib– flanken style. 
• And a recipe for beef back ribs. 
• You can also find a recipe for a sped-up version of smoked beef ribs on the Traeger in my cookbook, which you can pick up here. 

Products used in this cook:

• Meater wireless thermometer system
• Traeger Ironwood XL grill
• Traeger pink butcher paper
• Aluminum pan (for catching the drippings throughout the cook)

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Beef Ribs on the Traeger

thisjewcanque

This is the ultimate BBQ bite– literally brisket on a stick– that is often found in real Texas BBQ joints. Give yourself plenty of time to let these beef ribs cook until probe tender and your dinner guests will be begging for them again!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 12 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course beef, main, Main Course, meat

Cuisine American, BBQ

Servings 4

Equipment

• Traeger Ironwood XL Grill
• Cutting board and paring or boning knife
• Pink butcher paper
• Aluminum pan
• Cooler or resting box
• Cutting board and slicing knife

Ingredients

  

• 1 set of beef plate short ribs cut 1-2-3 A, about 5 pounds (3 bones)
• 1 cup hot sauce
• 1 cup Salt Pepper Garlic seasoning from Spiceology
• 1/2 cup Coffee Junkie seasoning from Spiceology

Instructions

 

• Ensure that your beef ribs are defrosted fully if you purchased them frozen.
• Preheat your Traeger grill to 225*.
• Unwrap the ribs and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Using a sharp paring or boning knife, trim the beef ribs as necessary to ensure an even fat cap.
• Remove the silver skin on the meat side and score the silver skin on the bone side.
• Coat the ribs entirely in hot sauce.
• Then season generously with salt pepper garlic blend.
• Dust the beef ribs with Coffee Junkie seasoning.
• Insert a Meater probe in the thickest part of the meat, being sure not to hit the bones.
• When the grill is hot, place the seasoned ribs in the grill and pair the Meater to your phone.
• Set the desired temperature for 165*.
• Allow the ribs to cook at 225* until they reach 165*– about 5 hours.
• Pull the ribs from the grill and wrap them in pink butcher paper.
• Adjust the Meater setting to a new goal of 203* and place the meat back in the grill.
• Increase the Traeger temperature to 275* and continue cooking the ribs until probe tender.
• This should take another 5-6 hours.
• Remove the beef ribs from the grill and place in a cooler or holding box to rest for at least one hour.
• Using a large slicing knife, cut between the bones and serve your amazing beef ribs.

Video

Keyword beef plate ribs, beef plate short ribs, beef ribs, dino bones