UPDATE 7/31/08
As much as I love this recipe, I always found it time consuming. Check out my post on Lazy Barbecue — Oven Beef Ribs for an easier barbecue beef rib recipe.
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You can make good, tender, BBQ beef ribs, even if you don’t have a smoker. I use a Tea Smoking Mixture and a liquid smoke/oil mixture to ensure that the meat has that smokey flavor we all want and crave.
I was experimenting with BBQ Beef Ribs this summer with mixed results. My first attempt came out dry but tasty, and the second was a lot better because I used a different recipe but not exactly what I was looking for. (Image from kosherblog.net.)
I decided on “tea smoking” the meat, a Chinese technique that I found interesting since I’m not allowed to grill where I live and have to use the oven. I was a little concerned about the ribs having a “tea” flavor to them since I had never done this before, so I basted the ribs with a mixture of liquid smoke and olive oil before cooking to ensure a smoked hickory flavor. Honestly, I think the tea is merely a source of smoke and doesn’t really affect flavor, but the liquid smoke mixture ensures a more authentic, smokey flavor.
Start by cooking the ribs at 500 degrees for 30 minutes and then reduce the heat to 200 degrees and cook for 1 1/2 – 2 hours more. What results is tender, almost fall-off-the-bone beef ribs. Finish them using the broiler setting or throwing them on a hot grill so you get a nice crust on the ribs that makes them look as good as they taste. Serve it with the Texas-style BBQ Sauce recipe, or use your favorite sauce (Bullseye is a good choice).
INGREDIENTS
Ribs
3 – 4 beef rib slabs (3 to 4 ribs per slab, about 5 pounds total)
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
Dry Rub Recipe
4 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Tea Smoking Mixture
1 cup loose black tea (Lapsang Souchong preferred)
1 cup rice
1 cup sugar
DIRECTIONS
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- Line a rimmed baking sheet with at least two layers of aluminum foil
- Spread the Tea Smoking Mixture evenly on the bottom of the baking sheet.
- Place a wire rack or roasting rack above the Tea Smoking Mixture so that ribs are elevated above baking sheet
- Mix chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper in small bowl
- Remove membrane from the bone side of the ribs.
- Rub ribs evenly with spice mixture.
- Place ribs on rack and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour
About 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook, heat oven to 500 degrees (if you have a pizza stone, place this in the oven also). When you’re ready to cook, baste ribs with liquid smoke/oil mixture and cover ribs with foil so that they are completely sealed. See smoker setup diagram at right.
- Place ribs in oven directly on the rack or a pre-heated pizza stone.
(Image from Cook’s Illustrated). - Cook ribs for 30 minutes at 500 degrees.
- Reduce heat to 200 degrees. Leave oven open for a minute to cool it down.
- Cook ribs for additional 90 minutes (for firmer ribs) or 2 hours for fall of the bone ribs. The meat will have shrunk, exposing about 1/2 to 1 inch of bone.
- Remove ribs from oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before removing foil.
- Remove ribs from foil and serve. You can also refrigerate them and then reheat them when ready to serve. If you want to finish the ribs so they have a nice crust, place them under the broiler or cook them meat side down on a hot barbecue grill or grill pan for 5 minutes. Flip and cook 5 more minutes and then serve with your favorite sauce on the side.