Whiskey Barrel Smoked Wagyu Beef Ribs

1. The night before you plan to smoke, combine the salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, and paprika in a bowl. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs, then season them thoroughly on all sides.
2. Place the ribs on a rack over a baking sheet and allow them to sit overnight with the seasoning. The salt will do some magical things and ensure a beautiful crust. 
3. Preheat your charcoal grill to 225°F using less than a full load of charcoal in a chimney starter. Pour unlit lump charcoal into the kettle grill and add the lit charcoal on top. Shut the air shutter down to ¼ of the way open to keep the temperature low. Place one to two Whiskey Barrel Wood Smoking Chunks into the charcoal. 
4. Smoke the Wagyu Beef Ribs for 3 hours using indirect heat. Remove the ribs from the grill and wrap them in foil or unwaxed butcher paper and return to indirect heat. 
5. Continue to cook the ribs for up to 3 more hours or until an internal temperature of 200°F. A Napoleon Wireless Bluetooth Digital BBQ Thermometer will help you keep an eye on this temperature because the ribs could cook faster or slower depending on the weather.
6. Remove the ribs from the grill and rest them for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

It was super hot (35°C/95°F) and sunny when I cooked these ribs. That meant that temperature control wasn't as easy as it would have been on a cooler or cloudy day. I went to grab something to drink and when I came back to the grill, my 200°F had suddenly made it up to 500°F! I spread the charcoal out and closed the air vent further - but not all the way closed - to cool things back down. Surprisingly, the cook turned out alright. That blast of heat shortened my smoking time by about an hour to an hour and a half, however, as you can see from the pictures, those ribs were beyond succulent anyway. Wagyu is pretty forgiving thankfully. And now that you know how to smoke beef ribs, will you try purchasing some Wagyu Beef Ribs to make your own? How do beef ribs compare to pork ribs?  Share your thoughts, recipes, and photos on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtags #SmokedRibs, #NapoleonEats, and #NapoleonGrill.

Happy Grilling!