Friend of mine got a bunch of beef ribs and want me to smoke them. Never done them. Any tips? How long does it typically take? 8 to 10 hours?

Some reason I have never had good luck with beef ribs. But, good luck!

Treat them like brisket, and you're good to go. No way to predict total time (size of ribs, temp, etc...).

Did beef ribs for the first time on thanksgiving. I had them cut in half at the butchers. Smoked them for close to 8 hours at 225. I think for full ribs you'll want to smoke at a higher temperature, around 275. I used a pellet smoker so keeping the temperature consistent was easy.

The night before, I trimmed them, removing the silver skin from the top, but not on the bottom. You want to leave the membrane over the bones themselves intact or the ribs will fall apart on you. I coated them in mustard, used a fairly generous pour of kosher salt on the top and sides, and used the steak seasoning from Pete's fine meats to cover it, and let it soak in over night in the fridge.

I put them on the smoker in the morning, and let them sit there for three hours. After that, I misted them every 30 minutes or so with a half-cider-vinegar-half-water mix. Kept that up until they hit 200, then wrapped in butcher paper and stored in a cooler for 45 minutes before eating. Turned out better than I could have hoped for!

Not much different than a brisket.

1) beef rub that you'd also use on brisket.
2) smoke at the same temp you would for a brisket (for me that's 225-250).
3) spritz every hour or so during the cook.
4) wrap in butcher paper after you reach a bark that you like.
5) pull when it probes between bones with no resistance. Since there's more meat than pork ribs you can use internal temp as a guideline, just like a brisket will likely be 195-205 range, but double check by tenderness.
6) let it rest at least 30 minutes, but more time is better.

At 225-250 pit temperature they usually take between 6.5 and 8 hours for me, but never go by just time alone.

GSS said:

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Treat them like brisket, and you're good to go. No way to predict total time (size of ribs, temp, etc...).

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/EOT