Stampede BBQ Beef Rib Failure

[smoker novice]

I would like some feedback on what I did incorrectly. I smoked BBQ Beef Ribs. I followed this recipe...

https://www.recteq.com/blogs/beef-recipes/bbq-beef-ribs

The good part is the flavor was great. The bad part is the ribs were very dry and the meat was tough. Is there something I should do differently next time so the meat is more tender and moist? Maybe spritz with water through the process or smoke less time, etc...? Not sure...

 

[Motodad1776]

Could've just been the meat itself.....it happens.

 

[Waterboy]

A little more info would be helpful. Which type of beef ribs did you use? There are three basic types of beef ribs: plate, chuck and back ribs.

Plate have the most fat and are hard to dry out. Chuck are less fatty and you have to be a little more careful not to dry them out. Back ribs have little meat on them and in my opinion are the most difficult to get right. All should be spritzed during the cook.

Plate ribs can take 8 hours or more, chuck are usually done in 6ish hours and back ribs are more likely to be done in the time listed in the RecTeq recipe. If you only cooked these for the 3 or 4 hours in RecTeq’s recipe that may be your problem.

Malcom Reed, Aaron Franklin, Jeremy Yoder and others have great videos on cooking plate ribs. Chuck ribs are done similarly just less time. All should be cooked until probe tender not necessarily to time.

 

[jamorgan3777]

That recipe is almost criminally vague. As Waterboy states above, more info needed.

If the ribs have a lot of meat and are well marbled, then a wrap could have been used. If not much marbling, then a faster/shorter cook is likely needed. For example, the ribs that you routinely see at Walmart are from the loin area (high or back ribs) and have much less meat to bone ratio and dry out very quickly. This meat is essentially part of a bone in ribeye steak. Imagine what that would do if cooked on the schedule that that recipe suggests. Down below, those ribs are much more like brisket and have more meat. Those can be cooked as such, long slow with a foil or paper wrap.

 

[Jim6820]

I would like some feedback on what I did incorrectly. I smoked BBQ Beef Ribs. I followed this recipe...

https://www.recteq.com/blogs/beef-recipes/bbq-beef-ribs

The good part is the flavor was great. The bad part is the ribs were very dry and the meat was tough. Is there something I should do differently next time so the meat is more tender and moist? Maybe spritz with water through the process or smoke less time, etc...? Not sure...

That recipe is spot on…for dry, tough ribs. As others have said, there are different types of beef ribs and each type requires a different cooking technique.

 

[Rectechie]

I am not a fan of Recteq recipes. I have smoked Beef Plate Ribs many times before and they take 6-8 hours depending on the weight. What type of beef ribs were you cooking?
4 Hours is not enough time for the fat to render.

 

[Mozekian]

What a disaster recipe that does time and no mention of temp or feel.

To the OP, as others have said, watch a video from a respected source and learn how to temp and probe the ribs, that’s how you know they are done. You basically ate ribs that were tough because they didn’t have time to break down the connective tissue, render fat and collagen.

 

[smoker novice]

Thanks for all the replys! They were beef chuck ribs from Wal-Mart which may be one of the reasons they dried out just as Waterboy stated. I'll take all your input, watch a few videos and see if I can do better next time.

 

[Pacman]

What a disaster recipe that does time and no mention of temp or feel.

I finally went and looked at that recipe. Wow! You weren't kidding. What an incredibly vague set of instructions. Doesn't speak to the different kinds of beef ribs, It implies that the ribs will magically be done without ever checking the meat for doneness.

 

[Lindah]

you need a more low and slow approach to beef ribs. Need to render fat. Personally I do them at 225 wrap when reach 160 bring them to 200 let rest in cooler well wrapped in towels for a couple hours. Use any dry rub you like. For a large meaty set of Dino ribs it’s an overnight thing. You can hold things in a well insulated cooler for up 4 to 5 hours Just ensure temp does not drop below 135. So start early and use the rest time as your buffer.
As a rule I do things 3 ways low and slow as above or for large thick steak and Tri tip I do a low and sear. That would be 225 until 110 remove from grill and then bring grill to 500 let grates heat for 10 then sear meat until desired temp mostly 130 for beef and lamb 140 for pork and 165 for chicken rest for appropriate time based on size of cut.

Way 3 is sear which is for small tender cuts.

I am disappointed that Rec Tec does not provide the basics and instead has “recipes “. It’s important to understand the formula for different types of cuts of meat.
Which cuts should be low and sear and how to do that
Which cuts low and slow and how to do that
Which cuts are just sear and how to do that.

Then for each of the above with the addition to maybe handling fish and poultry each grill they sell has differences in what is needed to do those techniques.

 

[smoker novice]

Great input! Thanks Lindah!

 

[Rectechie]

I have a rule that I follow when using my RT. “Do not use the Recteq recipes”.
There are so many resources on You Tube that you can learn more from that will yield better results.
Unfortunately, those that have come from using gassers rely on the manufacturers recipes without learning the basics of BBQ.

The RT is just another way to smoke meat but you need to understand the basics first.