Smokey Black Pepper Beef Ribs

These ribs get a ton of deep, pepper-y flavor from freshly cracked black pepper—and a fair amount of heat from ground chipotle chili.

They also get a double dose of smoke from a generous amount of ground chipotle and smoked paprika.

Smokey Black Pepper Beef Ribs
4 lbs. beef back ribs (about 8 ribs)
2 Tbls. freshly cracked black pepper
1 Tbls. kosher salt
1 Tbls. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ground chipotle
spray canola oil
Serves 3-4 for dinner, or 6-8 for an appetizer
Smokey Black Pepper Beef Ribs: Prep the meat
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with foil and/or parchment paper. Grab your beef ribs and spread them out on the pan so they’re not touching.

Leave them on the counter to knock the chill off them while you mix up the spice rub.

Smokey Black Pepper Beef Ribs: Make the spice rub
Grind up the black pepper.

Put the black pepper, kosher salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, and ground chipotle in a medium-sized bowl.

Mix to combine with a fork or whisk.

You want a fairly uniform mixture, like this:

Smokey Black Pepper Beef Ribs: Coat the ribs
Sprinkle the ribs with the spice rub.

Pick the ribs up to coat all sides. Press the spice rub down with your hands to help it stick to the meat.


Give the top of the ribs a very light spritz with spray canola oil.


Smokey Black Pepper Beef Ribs: Roast, serve & enjoy!
Pop your ribs into your preheated oven.
Roast for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. After 15 minutes, drop the heat to 300 degrees and roast for an additional 1 hour 20 minutes. Your final roasting time will depend on the size and meatiness of your ribs.
Yank them out of the oven when they have a handsome brown crust and the meat comes away easily from the bone when pulled at with a fork.

Serve and enjoy!

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14 Comments
Think this would work on pork ribs?? I’d love to try!
Oh, totally! (Let me know?) Keep an eye on them because the timing will be different. Depending on their size, they probably won’t need to cook for as long.
+Jessie
This looks great.:)
Thanks, Bunny!
+Jessie
amazing! I need to try your rub. I think it would work with just about any kind of meat.
Thanks, honey pie.
Let me know what you try!
+Jessie
Everytime I see you with a rib post I think, hmmm, would I really give up meat for EVER? lol. Your food always looks so good!
These look really good, though with the chipotle, maybe a little too spicy for me? I bet my husband would love them though.
you’re on a beef kick! The filet, now these ribs. These look so delicious, and so simple!
Oh man, those look wicked good! I love ribs, I need to make some more and soon.
Another wonderful rib recipe, Jessie! And may I say that your pics are beautifully artistic as well as instructional.
These look delicious.
Rib of the week!! I love it! This pepper looks incredibly hot. (Good with me!) is it a lot of heat?
I had never made ribs before tonight, but I had a beautiful cut of back ribs to deal with. I was worried I would have to end up with the standard, smothered in bbq sauce ribs (not that there’s another wrong with that).
This recipe turned out SO well! It’s a keeper.