Texas Barbecued Beef Ribs
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen.
Beef back ribs get a sweet-and-spicy rub, then a slow covered steam in the oven to render the fat and loosen the meat from the bone before a session over smoky indirect coals finishes them with char and real barbecue flavour. Doing the tenderising in the oven means the barbecue only has to add smoke, not cook the ribs through.
Based on the listed ingredients, none of the 14 major EU allergens. Always check product labels.
Method
- 1
Make the rub. Combine the brown sugar, chilli powder, cayenne, fine salt and black pepper in a bowl.
- 2
Season the ribs. Pat the ribs dry with kitchen paper, then rub the sugar mixture all over them. (The ribs can be wrapped in cling film and refrigerated for up to 24 hours at this point.)
- 3
Steam in the oven. Set an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 150 °C (130 °C fan). Arrange the ribs on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking tray. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the tray, cover the tray tightly with foil, and bake until the fat has rendered and the meat begins to pull away from the bones, about 2 hours.
- 4
Prepare the smoker. Seal the soaked wood chips tightly in a foil packet and cut a few vent holes in the top. Open the bottom vent on the barbecue. Light about 100 coals and, once covered in a fine grey ash, pile them on one side of the barbecue; set the foil packet directly on the coals. Put the barbecue rack in place and heat, covered, with the lid vent half open, until the chips begin to smoke heavily, about 5 minutes. (For a gas barbecue, set the packet directly over the primary burner, turn all burners to high, and heat covered until the chips smoke heavily, about 15 minutes, then leave the primary burner on high and turn the others off.)
- 5
Smoke the ribs. Scrape the barbecue rack clean. Arrange the ribs on the cool side of the barbecue and cook, covered, flipping and rotating the slabs once, until lightly charred and smoky, about 1½ hours.
- 6
Rest and serve. Transfer the ribs to a chopping board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover ribs in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; reheat gently, wrapped in foil, until warmed through. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 4.8 g protein per 100 kcal, about 19% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
Per serving, from the nutrition table. Condition from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
9.7 g per serving
19.4 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 38.8 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- kitchen paper
- wire rack
- rimmed baking tray
- foil
- charcoal or gas barbecue
- chimney starter
- chopping board
- instant-read thermometer
- tongs
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1060 kcal |
| Protein | 50.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.1 g |
| of which sugars | 9.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 9.7 g |
| Fat | 89.2 g |
| of which saturates | 39.6 g |
| Fibre | 1.1 g |
| Salt | 4.94 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
