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smoked beef ribs on the grates of a pit boss pellet grill

Pit Boss Smoked Beef Ribs

Learn exactly how to smoke beef short ribs on a Pit Boss pellet grill following our detailed instructions and recipe below!
This is a great BBQ dish to impress your guests, and especially easy to do on a Pit Boss!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Holiday, Keto
Servings 4 servings
Calories 800 kcal

Equipment

  • Pit Boss Pellet Grill
  • Wood pellets for Pit Boss preferably oak, alder, apple, and/or cherry
  • Aluminum Foil Trays
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Empty Spray Bottle
  • Internal Meat Thermometer
  • Pink Butcher Paper
  • Large Cutting Board
  • Meat Slicing Knife
  • Large Cutting Board

Ingredients
  

  • 1 3 Bone Section Beef Short Plate Ribs

Savory Beef Rib Rub

  • ½ cup Kosher Salt use more or less if needed depending on preference.
  • ¼ cup Smoked paprika
  • ¼ cup Black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cayenne powder

Beef Rib Spritz

  • 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Water

Instructions
 

Prepare the Beef Ribs

  • Trim the silverskin and any excess fat off the top of the beef ribs.
    1 3 Bone Section Beef Short Plate Ribs
    trimming fat from beef ribs
  • Do not trim or pull away the membrane on the bottom of the beef ribs.
    the membrane on a rack of beef ribs

Apply the Rub

  • Mix the rub ingredients well and apply generously to the entire top and sides of the beef ribs.
    ½ cup Kosher Salt, ¼ cup Smoked paprika, ¼ cup Black pepper, 2 tablespoon Garlic Powder, 1 tablespoon Onion powder, 1 teaspoon Cayenne powder
    sprinkling seasoning on beef ribs
  • Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 hours while you prepare the grill, or even overnight to allow the salt and rub to penetrate the meat.

Start the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

  • Remove the fire pot from the bottom of the Pit Boss and clean out any ashes left over from the last cook. Replace it and make sure it is secured in place with the clips on either side.
    a dirty pit boss pellet grill fire pot
  • Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill and put it on the "Smoke" setting.
    a pit boss pellet grill control panel
  • If there are no pellets in the auger, hold the "Prime" button until you hear pellets begin falling in the fire pot. This will speed up the auger to prime it full of pellets before you start preheating.
    starting a pit boss pellet grill
  • Once the Pit boss begins to produce thick white smoke, let it run for about 5-7 minutes until the smoke turns more of a clearish blue color. This means the fire rod has fully heated up to burn the pellets more cleanly.
  • Next, set the temperature to preheat the Pit Boss pellet grill to 350°F. We will drop this temperature before we start cooking.
  • Fill an aluminum pan with water pan if you want to add extra moisture, and place it on the far left side of the Pit Boss pellet grill. Place a disposable bucket liner in the grease bucket as well if you want to limit cleanup later.
  • Once the Pit Boss has come up to 350°F, drop the temperature on the control panel to 275° and clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid.

Smoke the Beef Ribs on the Pit Boss

  • Remove the plastic wrap and place the beef ribs on the Pit Boss with the bones running left to right and the thicker end pointed to the hitter right side.
    raw beef ribs on a pit boss pellet grill
  • Place an internal temperature probe if you have one into the center of the meat on top of the beef ribs.
  • Close the lid, rotate 180°F every hour keeping the ribs pointed left to right so that both sides pull away from the bone evenly.
    smoked beef ribs on a pit boss pellet grill
  • Mix the apple cider vinegar and water together in the spray bottle and spritz the beef ribs about every 30 minutes or so to keep them moist.
    1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Cup Water
    spritzing beef ribs on pit boss pellet grill
  • Cook the beef ribs until they reach about 180°F internally which may take about 5 hours.
    checking temperature on smoked beef ribs

Texas Crutch - Wrapping in Butcher Paper

  • Carefully remove the beef ribs from the Pit Boss and place on a large sheet of pink butcher paper.
    wrapping smoked beef ribs in pink butcher paper
  • Wrap the beef ribs with the butcher paper around on all sides.
  • Replace the temperature probe and place back on the Pit Boss.

Remove, Rest, and Slice the Smoked Beef Short Ribs

  • When the internal temperature of the beef ribs have have reached 200°F, remove from the Pit Boss and keep wrapped.
  • Let the smoked beef ribs rest for about 30 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to distribute.
  • After resting, place the beef ribs on a large cutting board. Turn upside down to see the bones and slice down between each bone and serve.
    slicing smoked beef ribs

Nutrition

Calories: 800kcal
Keyword barbecue, bbq, bbq beef, BBQ Rub, Beef, Beef Rub, caveman, dinosaur ribs, Keto, pellet grill, Pit Boss, pit boss beef ribs, pit boss beef short ribs, pit boss smoked beef ribs, short plate ribs, smoked beef ribs, smoked beef short ribs
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