Smoked Beef Ribs

This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional. It has not been tested for home use.
Directions for: Smoked Beef Ribs

Ingredients

3 5- to 8-lbs bone-in, block-cut racks beef short ribs (3 bones per rack)

Mustard Marinade, recipe follows

Seasoning Blend, recipe follows

Glaze, recipe follows

Serving suggestions: horseradish cream, potato salad and coleslaw

Mustard Marinade

1 cup yellow mustard

cup whole-grain mustard

cup Worcestershire sauce

cup apple cider vinegar

Seasoning Blend

1 cup kosher salt

cup granulated garlic

cup cracked black pepper

2 Tbsp dried ancho chile powder

2 Tbsp lemon pepper

1 tsp cayenne

Glaze

1 cup beer, preferably brown ale

1 cup honey

1 cup brown sugar

cup beef bouillon paste

Directions

1. Pull the ribs from the fridge and set them on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes before they'll be put in the smoker.

2. Prepare an indirect wood-burning smoker for cooking at 250F with hickory split wood. Alternatively, use a standard grill and indirect heat with hickory wood chips that have been soaked in water for 1 hour. Follow the grill's instructions for reaching 250F.

3. Meanwhile, prep the ribs: Brush the racks on all sides with Mustard Marinade and place on a baking sheet. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to give the marinade time to adhere to the meat. Sprinkle the racks liberally on all sides with Seasoning Blend, but do not pack the seasoning on--you want the smoke to still be able to penetrate the meat.

4. Place the rib racks in the smoker bone-side down. Smoke until the meat is darkly caramelized and pulling off the bone, and has reached an internal temperature of 175F at its thickest part, about 5 hours.

5. Carefully remove the ribs from the smoker and transfer them to a baking sheet. Using a brush, coat the top and sides of the ribs with Glaze. (Do not brush the bone side.) Wrap each rack separately in foil and return to the smoker for another hour.

6. Remove the ribs from the smoker and let them rest 15 minutes in their foil packets. Serve as racks or slice into individual ribs. Plate and enjoy with your favorite sauce and sides. Our favorites are horseradish cream, potato salad and coleslaw, as the acidity of each cuts through the richness of the beef.

Mustard Marinade

1. Whisk together yellow and whole-grain mustards, Worcestershire, vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a bowl until evenly blended.

Seasoning Blend

1. Mix together salt, granulated garlic, black pepper, chile powder, lemon pepper and cayenne in a bowl with a fork or whisk until evenly blended.

Glaze

1. Put the beer, honey, brown sugar and bouillon paste in a saucepot over low heat; gently warm the mixture without cooking it. Whisk until sugar is completely dissolved. The glaze can be used warm; it does not need to cool completely.