Beef short ribs, AKA: “Brisket on a Stick,” Dino ribs, or beef plate ribs, are arguably the best bite in BBQ.

Beef ribs are on every aspiring pitmaster’s “wishlist” for cooking. However, it’s a relatively expensive cut, so there’s some intimidation and fear of messing them up. Well, have no fear because we have created the easiest and tastiest recipe for smoking beef ribs.

Whether this is your first time smoking beef ribs or your tenth, you’re going to love this recipe!

Smoked beef rib sliders

We transform these beautifully smoked beef ribs into sliders to feed a crowd for gameday or your next cookout. Pairing them with homemade bourbon BBQ sauce and refreshing pickled onions. 

Ingredients you’ll need

• Beef short ribs – I used USDA Prime Beef Short Ribs, also known as plate ribs or dino ribs. When picking them out, I went for the beef ribs with the most marbling and symmetry.
• BBQ rub—we love our homemade BBQ rub recipes. However, for this recipe, we used a traditional, store-bought semi-sweet BBQ rub, Meat Church, The Gospel.
• Course pepper – when smoking beef ribs, I always use a heavy amount of black pepper in addition to my BBQ rub.
• Worcestershire sauce – Worcestershire, or W Sauce, is a great binder for beef that pairs well with the beefy BBQ flavor.
• Homemade BBQ sauce – ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, sweet BBQ Rub. Use your favorite BBQ sauce, but this our homemade bourbon BBQ sauce is out of this world!
• Homemade pickled onions – onions, jalapeños, garlic, red wine vinegar, BBQ rub, coriander seeds, parsley, hot water, and the juice from a lemon.
• Slider buns – I used Hawaiian roll slider buns for this recipe, but any sweet slider bun or brioche bun works well.
  

Equipment you’ll need

• Pellet Smoker – I used my Traeger Grills Woodridge Pellet Grill, but any pellet grill will work for this recipe.
• Pellets – I suggest using hickory, oak, or cherry pellets.
• Boning knife – Though the beef ribs require little trimming, you’ll still need a sharp and flexible knife to trim any hanging pieces or hard fat. I used our Smoke Kitchen Boning Knife.
• BBQ Slicing Knife—To cut these beef ribs, you’ll want to use a brisket or slicing knife. I used our Smoke Kitchen BBQ Slicing knife.
• Small cast iron skillet or grill-safe saucepan: I used a cast iron saucepan for the homemade BBQ sauce.
• Meat thermometer – I recommend a probe thermometer for this recipe to track the temperature of the ribs accurately. I used my Meater Pro thermometer.

What is a “Dino Rib”?

Beef plate short ribs, also known as Dino ribs, come from the plate primal, which is the section under the rib primal.

They are incredibly marbled, beefy, and rich in flavor. They are best smoked low and slow or braised to break down all that muscle and render all of that marbling while building a beautiful bark and smoke ring. 

How to make smoked beef rib sliders

Since beef ribs are so big, I would say that in most cases, you won’t be cooking an individual rib for each guest, so finding a way to serve them to a crowd is ideal.

1. Fire up the smoker

I like to start this cook before bed so that the beef ribs cook overnight. However, any time of day is fine as long as you do the math on when you plan to serve them.

Preheat your pellet smoker to 225°F using hickory, oak, or cherry pellets.

I used my Traeger Grills Woodridge Pellet Grill with the Traeger signature blend pellets.

2. Trim the Beef Ribs

The best part about beef ribs is that they are easy to prepare. You only need to trim off any hard fat or hanging pieces, and there’s no need to remove the membrane.

3. Season

I used Worcestershire sauce as a binder, which can be found online or at most grill and BBQ stores.

Give the beef a nice coating of the sauce, then season it all over. I used Meat Church “The Gospel”, but any semi-sweet BBQ rub combined with some extra ground pepper will work well. For a homemade option, use our ultimate dry rub for ribs.

4. Smoke

Before placing the ribs in the smoker, insert the thermometer into the center point of the ribs.

Place the ribs on the top rack of the smoker with a foil pan underneath and smoke until you reach an internal temperature of 198-200°F, which took me about eight hours.

When smoking the beef ribs overnight, I prepare the pickles and BBQ sauce in the evening and put the sauce on the smoker in the morning for the last two hours.

5. Prep the Bourbon BBQ sauce

Combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, and Meat Church the Gospel (or your favorite Sweet BBQ Rub) in a grill-safe saucepan.

Smoke alongside the beef ribs for two hours at 225°F. Stir occasionally.

If you like your BBQ sauce a little sweeter, add more maple syrup to taste. I like adding more bourbon when serving this sauce on pork ribs or chicken wings. 

6. Prep the pickled onions

Slice the onions and jalapeños and crush the garlic. Add them all to a large mason jar, followed by red wine vinegar, sweet BBQ rub, coriander, parsley, hot water, and the juice from a lemon.

Cool and store in the refrigerator overnight or for at least four hours.

I love making these pickled onions and using them for sliders, tacos, salads, rice bowls, and more.

7. Rest those ribs

Once the beef ribs reach between 198-200°F internal temperature, they will need to rest for at least 30 minutes; however, they can rest in a cooler covered in foil for up to 4 hours.

8. Slice

When it comes to slicing, cut the ribs into three individual ribs, then cut each rib into about 1 x 1-inch slices.

If you smoke a smaller rack of plate ribs, you’ll use up all three ribs for 18-24 sliders. The rack I smoked was larger than a typical plate rib, so I saved that last rib for an extra recipe. Stay tuned.

9. Assembly

My favorite way to serve beef ribs is to slice them into the perfect small bite for sliders. It’s essential to let the flavor of the beef rib shine and not overpower them with a lot of toppings or sauces.

Toast the slider rolls on the smoker at 275°F for 10-15 minutes. I used Hawaiian roll slider buns however, any sweet slider bun or brioche bun will work perfectly.

Assemble with the homemade BBQ sauce, beef rib slices, and pickled onions. Serve with the extra homemade bourbon BBQ sauce on the side.

If you love a good slider, then check out our BBQ pulled pork sliders or Smoked pork belly sliders as well.

Smoked Beef Rib Sliders Recipe

Our smoked beef rib sliders are the ultimate crowd-pleaser, combining rich smoked ribs with tangy pickled onions and our signature bourbon BBQ sauce. Perfect for any gathering, these sliders are sure to impress. Loved the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating, and feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

Print

Smoked Beef Rib Sliders

Beef plate short ribs smoked low and slow with homemade bourbon BBQ sauce and pickled onions on a slider roll.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Resting Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 9 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Rosalie Bradford

Ingredients

• 1 rack Beef plate ribs (Dino ribs)
• ¼ cup Sweet BBQ rub I used Meat Church the Gospel but any semi-sweet BBQ rub will like our ultimate homemade rib rub
• 1 tbsp course ground black pepper
• Worcestershire sauce the amount will vary depending on the size of your ribs
• 2 packets slider buns

Bourbon BBQ sauce

• 1½ cups Ketchup
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 2 oz Bourbon
• 1 tbsp BBQ rub

Pickled onions

• 2 onions sliced thinly
• 1 jalapeño sliced thinly
• 5 cloves garlic crushed
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 lemon juice only
• 1 tbsp BBQ rub
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 2 cups hot water

Instructions

• Preheat your smoker to 225°F.
• Prep the beef short ribs by trimming any hard fat or hanging pieces.
• Coat the ribs in the Worcestershire sauce as a binder, then season liberally with the BBQ rub and black pepper.
• Place the ribs on the top rack of the smoker with a foil pan underneath. Smoke for eight hours or until the internal temperature reaches 198-200°F.
• Remove the ribs when they reach between 198-200°F, and let rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
• Slice the ribs into three individual ribs, then cut each rib into about 1 x 1-inch slices.
• Toast the slider rolls and assemble with the Bourbon BBQ sauce, beef rib slices, and pickled onions. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side.

Bourbon BBQ sauce

• Combine all of the ingredients in a grill safe saucepan. Smoke alongside beef ribs for the last two hours at 225°F. Stir occasionally and let cool.

Pickled onions

• Add the onions, jalapeno, and garlic to a large mason jar, followed by red wine vinegar, BBQ rub, coriander seeds, parsley, hot water, and lemon juice. Cool and store in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours.

Notes

Bourbon BBQ sauce – When smoking the beef ribs overnight, I prepare the BBQ sauce in the evening, then put the sauce on the smoker in the morning for the last two hours.

If you like your BBQ sauce a little sweeter, add more maple syrup to taste. If I’m using this sauce with pork ribs or chicken wings, I like to add a little more bourbon. 

 

Where to get beef ribs from?

You don’t typically find beef plate ribs at the grocery store. There’s a chance your local butcher won’t have them either, depending on your region.

If you want to source them locally, ask your butcher, and they might be able to cut them specially or order them, or check to see if you have a premium meat or BBQ store in your area.

You can order them online and have them delivered in just a few days! My favorite beef ribs are American Wagyu Beef Short Ribs from Snake River Farms, which you can find on their website.

What’s the difference between plate ribs and beef back ribs?

Beef back ribs, as you can guess, come from the back of the cow and are part of the ribeye roast. This meat is going to taste entirely different from beef plate ribs. They are small, have meat in between the bones, and do not feature as much marbling as plate ribs.

Plate ribs are huge and come in sections of three ribs, whereas beef back ribs come in smaller sections of three, four, or seven ribs. Don’t get these mixed up!

Do I need to smoke them low and slow?

Because the beef ribs are incredibly marbled, they will cook in eight hours using the low and slow method, with no wrap or spritz required.

Smoking for eight hours at a lower temperature will give the beef ribs an incredible bark and produce a buttery and tender texture, however, if you are working with less time, smoking the beef ribs at 250°F for six hours will get the job done.