Equipment You’ll Need
- Sturdy Roll of Tin Foil
- Hickory Wood Pellets
- Large Baking Sheet or BBQ Tray
- BBQ Tongs
- Louisiana Grills Black Label 1000
- Yonedas Okami Chef Knife
- You Need a BBQ Cutting Board
- Fireboard 2.0 Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 Rack Beef Plate Ribs
- ¼ cup Boar’s Night Out Spicy White Lightning
- ½ cup Fergolicious BBQ SPG Luv Rub
- ½ cup Big Poppa Smoker’s Happy Endings Finishing Rub
- 1 cup Blues Hog Smokey Mountain BBQ Sauce
- ¼ cup Hive on Fire Hot Honey
Instructions
1. Preparation
- Preheat your smoker to 225°F.
- Rinse and dry the ribs to remove any bone fragments or grit. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Leave the membrane on the ribs to help keep the bones attached.
- Coat the ribs with grilling oil as a binder.
- Season the ribs heavily with White Lightning and SPG Luv Rub.
- Let the ribs rest for about 30 minutes to allow the rubs to set up.
2. Smoking the Ribs
- Place ribs on smoker bone side down.
- Insert a thermometer into the meat to monitor internal temperature.
- Smoke at 225°F until ribs reach around 180°F.
- Spray with apple cider vinegar only if parts start looking too dark (optional).
3. Wrapping the Ribs
- Wrap ribs in foil when they hit 180°F to help tenderize and speed up the cook.
- Continue smoking wrapped ribs until they reach an internal temperature of 205°F.
4. Resting
- Remove from smoker at 205°F.
- Rest ribs on the counter for 30 minutes.
5. Finishing
- Slice the ribs individually.
- Shake Happy Endings rub over the sliced ribs.
- Mix the finishing sauce: Combine Blues Hog Smokey Mountain BBQ Sauce with Hive on Fire Hot Honey.
- Brush sauce onto ribs for a glossy, spicy-sweet finish.
- Serve hot!
Quick Recap:
- Preheat smoker to 225°F.
- Rinse and dry ribs.
- Coat with grilling oil and seasoning.
- Let rub set for 30 minutes.
- Smoke bone side down.
- Wrap at 180°F, cook to 205°F.
- Rest 30 minutes, slice and sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
Helpful Tips and Notes
What type of ribs should you use?
Use Beef Plate Ribs for best results — these have meat on top of the bones. Beef back ribs have less meat and will cook faster.
What pellets are best for beef ribs?
Hickory, Competition Blend, Charcoal, or Mesquite hardwood pellets are ideal. Avoid mild fruit woods like apple or cherry.
Is this recipe Gluten Free?
Yes! The beef ribs, seasonings, and sauces used here are all gluten-free.
Bought ribs with little meat?
You likely have beef back ribs. For thick, meaty ribs, ask your butcher for beef plate ribs or belly ribs.
Want fall-off-the-bone ribs?
Wrap the ribs in foil for the last 2–3 hours to super tenderize them. Or, use boneless beef short ribs following the same method.
When are beef ribs done?
Target 205°F internal temperature. If a probe or toothpick slides in like butter, they’re perfectly tender.