Skip to main content

Texas Beef Ribs

Despite his growing appreciation of cheater skills and methods, R. B. is still a little sore about the time his outdoor hickory smoked ribs (barely) lost the blind taste test against our cheater Texas Beef Ribs. Sorry, R. B., the kids preferred the smoky, supermoist, easy indoor version. The bigger surprise was finding a distinct outdoorlike crust on the slow cooker ribs. Because the ribs weren’t simmering in sauce, the crust had a chance to develop. We didn’t even need to finish them off under the broiler or on the grill. In the pork-crazy mid-South, beef back ribs are a rarity. Now that the in-house tasting staff has ever-so-slightly favored the cheater style, we’ll not hesitate to jump on a good-looking rack, regardless of the weather.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

4 pounds beef ribs
2 tablespoons Cheater Chili Dry Rub (page 45)
1/4 cup bottled smoke

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    CUT the ribs into 2-bone pieces and place them in a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts).

    Step 2

    SPRINKLE the dry rub on all sides of the ribs and add the bottled smoke.

    Step 3

    COVER and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Cheater BBQ
Read More
Like spicy carrot rigatoni and weeknight-fancy ravioli with peas.
Like lemony baked salmon and strawberry shortcake roll.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
A warmly spiced Ashkenazi charoset, perfect for your Passover seder—or spooned over yogurt the next morning.
Crispy, Parmesan-crusted cutlets make this spring dish sing.
A feel-good dinner designed to cram a ton of veg in each serving.