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traeger smoked beef short ribs on a cutting board
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Traeger Smoked Beef Short Ribs

Learn exactly how to smoke beef short ribs on a Traeger pellet grill following our detailed instructions and recipe below!
First we season the ribs simply before smoking them at medium-low heat on the Traeger.
We finish by wrapping the smoked beef ribs in pink butcher paper to maintain a nice crusty bark.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 800kcal
Author Mads Martigan
Cost $60

Equipment

  • Traeger Pellet Grill
  • Wood pellets for Traeger 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 Spray

  • 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
    a seasoned rack of beef short 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 Traeger Pellet Grill

  • Load the hopper of the Traeger with your chosen wood pellets.
    loading pellets into a traeger hopper
  • Turn on the Traeger and move the dial to the "Smoke" setting.
    a traeger control panel set to the smoke setting
  • Leave the lid open for 5-7 minutes until you start seeing white billowing smoke coming out of the grill. This means the initial pellets are igniting.
    traeger pellet grill making thick white start up smoke
  • Close the lid and turn the temperature dial to 275°F. Allow 10-15 minutes for the grill to come up to temperature.
  • Clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid again.

Smoke the Beef Ribs on the Traeger

  • Remove the plastic wrap and place the beef ribs on the Traeger with the bones running left to right and the thicker end pointed to the hitter right side.
    raw beef ribs on a traeger 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.
    putting a temperature probe into beef short ribs on a traeger 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
  • Cook the beef ribs until they reach about 180°F internally which may take about 5 hours.
    smoked beef short ribs on a traeger pellet grill

Texas Crutch - Wrapping in Butcher Paper

  • Carefully remove the beef ribs from the Traeger and place on a large sheet of pink butcher paper.
    wrapping smoked beef short ribs in pink butcher paper
  • Wrap the beef ribs with the butcher paper around on all sides.
    beef ribs wrapped in pink butcher paper on a traeger pellet grill
  • Replace the temperature probe and place back on the Traeger.

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 Traeger and keep wrapped.
  • Let the smoked beef ribs rest for about 30 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to distribute.
    traeger smoked beef short ribs
  • 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.
    sliced traeger smoked beef short ribs

Notes

Video example from Grilling Network

Nutrition

Calories: 800kcal