Espresso Maple Bourbon Beef Plate Ribs – Cooking With Fire
These espresso maple bourbon beef plate ribs have been scored to the bone and smoked over applewood. Once they reach internal temp I put them in a foil tray with the espresso maple bourbon glaze and some water and let them braise for about an hour until they fall apart. Think of it as burnt ends on the bone. I also make Smoked Beef Ribs that are single bones smoked over hickory. These are the full rack, and we braise them.
When you score them you are creating space for the rub to penetrate. Cut 4 lines down one way and 4 across. You will cut to the bone. This allows the rub to get in all of your lines. When your braise is complete, each square will come off the bone on its own.
Made for game day and tailgating. Put the rack on a plate and let everyone pull their own.
Quick Look: Espresso Maple Bourbon Beef Plate Ribs
- Method: Cut to the bone, rub and smoke over applewood, then into a foil tray with the glaze, covered, to braise
- Smoker temp: 300°F
- Smoke time: Until the bark is formed and the ribs reach 175°F internal, about 2 to 3 hours
- Braise time: About an hour with foil on top and about 1/2 cup of water in the tray
- Done when: Fall apart tender and your probe goes through the meat with no resistance
- Serves: 4 to 6
- The one thing that matters most: Keep checking on your tray. Add water if needed. Maple syrup and barbecue sauce will burn, and if your sauce burns it will taste bitter
My Chuck Roast Burnt Ends are the cubed version of these. Same braise, no bones.
Why This Recipe
- Score the meat instead of cutting it into cubes. You create more surface area, like burnt ends, but they stay on the bone. You get more bark and can bring them to the table in one rack.
- Leave the membrane on. The membrane will keep your squares attached to the bone while braising. If you remove the membrane your squares will fall apart while smoking.
- Coffee in the rub. Ground espresso with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. Coffee adds a darker color to your bark and tastes more toasted than bitter once it has smoked.
- Maple bourbon glaze. Maple syrup, barbecue sauce, bourbon, Worcestershire, Dijon, a little bit of vinegar and espresso. The sweetness will complement the fat on the beef.
- Braising in a tray. Place the ribs in the tray with the glaze and water. Cover and allow the squares to braise in the sauce instead of drying out on the grates.
There are many ways to smoke beef ribs. Whole rack, low and slow, is the usual one. I love making them like burnt ends.
Key Ingredients
For the Beef Ribs
- Beef plate ribs. You will want to find as meaty a rack as possible, one that has 3 to 4 bones. Plate ribs are a large rib cut from the lower portion of the cow. There is a good amount of meat on top of the bones, and that is what you will be scoring into.
- Olive oil. 2 tbsp, to help the rub stick.
- Kosher salt. 1 tbsp.
- Coarse black pepper. 2 tbsp. I love using a lot of pepper on beef ribs.
- Garlic powder. 1 tbsp.
- Smoked paprika. 1 tbsp.
- Finely ground espresso. 1 tbsp. Any dark roast ground fine works.
- Onion powder. 1 tsp.
You can use any barbecue rub you like. Just make sure you get it in all of your cuts.
For the Espresso Maple Bourbon Glaze
- Pure maple syrup. 1/2 cup. The sweet and the sticky.
- Barbecue sauce. 1/2 cup of your favorite.
- Bourbon. 1/4 cup. It cooks down in the pan.
- Worcestershire sauce. 2 tbsp.
- Apple cider vinegar. 1 tbsp.
- Dijon mustard. 1 tbsp. Helps the glaze cling to the squares.
- Instant espresso powder. 1 tsp. Ties the glaze to the rub.
- Butter. 1 tbsp, stirred in at the end.
- Water. 1/2 cup for the tray. You may need to add more during your braise.
Similar to my Pork Belly Burnt Ends glaze, except with maple and bourbon instead of honey. Same sticky finish on a very different cut.
Substitutions or Additions
- Use chuck short ribs. They have a smaller bone and will take less time to braise. Start checking your ribs at the 45 minute mark.
- Apple juice for the bourbon. The same amount of apple juice will do the trick. You just won’t have that kick from the bourbon.
- Add some heat. You can add a tbsp of hot sauce or a tsp of chipotle powder to the glaze.
- Use a different wood. Try cherry or pecan. Hickory will work too but it will have a stronger flavor against the maple.
- Cook it in the oven. Follow the same temp and times. Have the ribs on a wire rack for the smoke phase, then transfer to the tray. I would use a barbecue sauce that has a smoky flavor in your glaze.
- Use the rib tips. If you trim any meat off your rack, try my Smoked Rib Tip Burnt Ends.
- Turn them into a sandwich. Pull your ribs off the bone and place them on a bun with the drippings. Check out my Smoked Pulled Beef Sandwiches for an extended version of this.
How to Make Espresso Maple Bourbon Beef Plate Ribs (Step by Step)
Score your meat. Place your ribs on the cutting board with the bone facing down. Using a sharp knife, cut about 4 lines down one way and about 4 across. Cut all the way down to the bone. Do not cut through the bone or remove the meat from the rack. Leave the membrane on.
Oil and rub. Brush your ribs with olive oil. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, espresso and onion powder. Rub it all over your rack and get it in all of your cuts. You want your squares to have rub on all sides.
Smoke over applewood. Place your ribs in the smoker at 300°F, bone down with the scored side facing up. Allow them to smoke until the bark is formed and the ribs reach 175°F. It should take about 2 to 3 hours.
Make the glaze. While your ribs are smoking, combine the glaze ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir occasionally and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes. Once it begins to thicken, remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
Place the ribs in a tray. Once your ribs reach temp and the bark looks right, place them in a foil tray. Pour the glaze over the top and get it in all of your cuts. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the tray.
Cover, braise and check. Place foil on top and seal it. Return to the smoker at 300°F for about an hour. Every 30 minutes, lift the foil and see if you need to add more water. If your sauce starts to burn, your ribs will taste bitter.
Pull when they are done. Your probe should go through the meat with no resistance and the squares should begin to pull away from each other. If they are not done, cover and continue to braise until they are.
Rest, glaze again and serve. Allow your ribs to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon some of the drippings back on top of the squares. Serve them on the rack and let everyone pull their own off the bone.
The minimum internal temp for beef is 145°F, so once they are fall apart tender you will be well over that. I like to check by probing the meat instead of going by time. Plate ribs can take a while to get fall apart tender, usually over 200°F. If you want to see how I handle a full packer the long way, check out my Smoked Brisket Platter.
Tips From Miguel
Always have water in your tray. During the braise I like to check every 30 minutes. Remove the foil and see if you need to add water. Depending on how hot your smoker runs you may need to add it more often. If the glaze burns it will taste bitter, and there is no fixing that.
Get rub in all your cuts. Don’t just put it on top. You want your rub in between your squares. That way you will have bark on all sides when they come off the bone.
Score them to the bone. You want to stop cutting when you hit bone. The bone and the membrane will keep your squares together through the smoke and the braise.
Use bark and temp when smoking. I like to take them off when they hit 175°F. If they have bark and haven’t reached temp yet, take them off. If they hit 175°F and don’t have much bark, leave them on longer.
Spoon your drippings over the top. After they have rested, spoon the drippings from the tray over your squares. Everything in the bottom of that tray is rendered beef fat and glaze. It is better than the sauce was going in.
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge: Pull the meat off the bone and store it in the drippings for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer: Store in the drippings for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
- Reheat: Cover and reheat in the oven at 300°F or on your smoker with the drippings. Once they are hot you can uncover for a few minutes to set the glaze.
- Make ahead: You can smoke and braise them the day before. Just leave them in the tray with the liquid and reheat as directed above. You can make the glaze 2 days ahead of time.
If you have a smoker running all day anyway, my Smoked Jalapeño Poppers go on next to the tray and come off before the ribs do.
More Beef Recipes to Try
Espresso Maple Bourbon Beef Plate Ribs FAQs
What are beef plate ribs?
Beef plate ribs are the large 3 to 4 bone rack of ribs from the lower rib section, with a thick piece of meat on top of the bones. People refer to these as dino ribs. You can use chuck short ribs as well, just start checking the braise earlier.
Why do you score the ribs?
By scoring the ribs you get more surface area, similar to burnt ends. You will be able to get rub and smoke on all sides of your squares, and when the braise is done each square comes off the bone on its own.
Should you remove the membrane?
No. You want to leave the membrane on when scoring your ribs. It will help hold the squares to the bone while they smoke and braise. Remove it and the grid comes apart.
What temp should my beef plate ribs be?
You want to probe the meat. You should be able to slide your probe through with no resistance, which is usually above 200°F. The USDA minimum for beef is 145°F, so you are well above that. The higher number is about tenderness, not safety.
Espresso Maple Bourbon Beef Plate Ribs
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Set the rack bone side down. With a sharp knife, cut about 4 lines one way and 4 lines across, about 1 inch apart, all the way down to the bone. Do not cut through the bone or remove the meat from the rack. Leave the membrane on.
- Brush the meat with olive oil. Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground espresso and onion powder and rub it over the whole rack, working it down into every cut so each square is seasoned on all sides.
- Smoke at 300°F over applewood, bone side down and scored side up, until the bark is dark and set and the meat reads about 175°F, roughly 2 to 3 hours.
- While the ribs smoke, combine the maple syrup, barbecue sauce, bourbon, Worcestershire, vinegar, Dijon and espresso powder in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally and simmer about 8 to 10 minutes until it begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
- Move the rack to a foil tray. Pour the glaze over the top and work it into the cuts. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the tray. Seal tightly with foil and return to the smoker at 300°F.
- Braise about 1 hour. Every 30 minutes, lift the foil and add water if the tray is drying out so the sugar in the glaze does not scorch. The ribs are done when a probe slides through the meat with no resistance and the squares begin to separate. If not there, cover and keep going.
- Rest the rack in the tray 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon the drippings back over the squares. Serve on the rack and let everyone pull their own pieces off the bone.
