The four-rib slab from the beef plate primal — colossal bones, deep marbling, no compromise. Salt and pepper, oak smoke, twelve hours. The most-photographed item in modern American barbecue.
Serves 4 to 6Prep 20 minCook 12 hr
What to ask for
This recipe calls for Plate ribs. Can't get it where you are?
Ingredients & method
Ingredients
1 slab beef plate ribs (3 or 4 bones, 2.5 to 4 kg)
3 tablespoons coarse rock salt
3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
Post-oak or hickory wood chunks
Yellow mustard or hot sauce (optional, as a binder)
Method
1Trim only the hardest pieces of fat from the top of the slab. Leave the membrane on the bone-side intact — it holds the slab together during the long cook.
2If using a binder, brush a thin layer of mustard or hot sauce over the top and sides. Mix the salt and pepper to make a coarse Texas dalmatian rub. Apply heavily — every surface should look uniformly coated, no skin showing.
3Set up a smoker for indirect cooking at 120 °C (250 °F). Add post-oak for clean smoke.
4Place the ribs bone-side down. Smoke undisturbed for the first 4 hours.
5After 4 hours, spritz hourly with water or apple-cider vinegar mix to maintain colour. Cook to an internal temperature of 100 to 105 °C (212 to 220 °F) measured between the bones — typically 10 to 12 hours total. The probe should slide in like room-temperature butter.
6Pull the ribs and rest in butcher paper inside an empty cooler for 60 to 90 minutes.
7Slice between the bones. Serve with white bread, pickles, and onions — no sauce.
Cook this well
$$$ · brisket, ribs, pork shoulder, and long smoke cooks
Hold a steady 225°F for twelve hours
Low-and-slow barbecue where stable heat matters more than speed.
Affiliate links — CarneAtlas may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.See all recommended gear
Chef's tip Don't trust an exact time — plate ribs are done when the probe slides in resistance-free, not at a specific hour. Some take 9 hours, some take 14.
Cook this later?Save the recipe, then keep notes on what worked and what you'd change next time.
