How do you choose good smoked beef rib bones for dogs? Follow this simple guide for safer chewing.

Alright, so I decided to try something out for my dogs the other day – smoking some beef rib bones. They go absolutely nuts for bones, and I figured, why not try making some myself instead of buying those pricey ones from the store?

Getting Started

First off, I needed the bones. I went down to my local butcher and asked for some beef rib bones. Not the tiny ones, but the decent-sized ones you might get after trimming ribs for yourself. Got a good few pounds of them, looked pretty meaty which I thought the dogs would appreciate.

Back home, the prep was super simple. I just gave the bones a good rinse under cold running water in the sink. Didn't bother trimming off too much fat or meat – figured that's part of the treat for them. The main thing was just cleaning off any surface gunk.

The Smoking Process

Then, I fired up my smoker. I wasn't aiming for a heavy smoke flavor like I would for myself, more just to cook them low and slow and dry them out a bit. I kept the temperature really low, hovering around 225 degrees Fahrenheit (about 107 Celsius for those who use that).

• Set up the smoker for indirect heat.
• Used just a tiny bit of mild wood, like apple or cherry, barely any really. Didn't want to overdo it.
• Most important part: Absolutely NO seasonings. No salt, no pepper, no garlic powder, nothing. Just plain bones. Stuff we eat can be bad for dogs.

I laid the bones out on the smoker rack, making sure they weren't crowded, so the heat could get all around them. Then I just let them go for a few hours. I think it was around 3 to 4 hours in total. I checked on them once or twice, mostly just to see how they were looking. They started to get that nice dark, sort of dried-out look on the outside.

Cooling Down and Treat Time

Once they looked done – cooked through and nicely dried – I pulled them off the smoker. Now this is crucial: I let them cool down completely. And I mean COMPLETELY. Like, I left them sitting out on a rack on the counter for several hours, then put them in the fridge overnight just to be absolutely sure. You never want to give a dog a hot bone, or even a warm one straight from the heat.

The next day was the moment of truth. I grabbed a couple of the cooled bones and called my dogs. You should have seen their reaction! Tails going crazy, noses sniffing like mad. I took them outside and gave them each a bone.

They were in heaven. Found their spots in the yard and just went to work, gnawing away happily. Kept them occupied for a good long while, which was a nice bonus. Felt good knowing exactly what they were chewing on – just plain, slow-cooked beef bone.

It was pretty straightforward, honestly. Just takes a bit of time on the smoker and patience for the cooling. Definitely something I'll be doing again when I get my hands on some good bones.