Time for our awesome smoked pork ribs recipe! Who doesn’t love a good smoked pork rib. Tender meat, a perfect sized bone to impart delicious flavor and juiciness, and that perfect level of smokiness. To sauce the ribs or not is up to you, just make sure they are well seasoned. Show
Easy Smoked Ribs RecipeOur preferred way is to cook the ribs until either nearly done or to smoke the ribs until fully tender and then add the BBQ sauce at the end. If everything is only going to be cooked in the smoker over indirect heat, then we’ll mop on the sauce over the last 45 minutes. That way it has a chance to caramelize without being overcooked. However, if you can throw your smoked ribs over direct heat (i.e. directly on the grill over the coals, or on a propane grill over medium-high heat), then we’ll cook the ribs until fully tender. Take them out of the smoker, sauce ’em up, and then sear them with the sauce to barely caramelize it and give a nice little crust. This method works fantastic when you want to cook the ribs ahead of time and then reheat them, or for serving leftovers. We like the texture the best on this second option as well but both ways of finishing with sauce are great. Video: How to Smoke Pork Ribs Recipe :What is Best Charcoal to Smoke Meat?If you want the best smoky flavor, use a good lump charcoal. We usually use a mesquite lump charcoal and have always been happy with the flavors. We smoke the meat in a grill which has an offset smoker box. When filling the box with charcoal, divide the lit charcoal coals from the unlit, not having them all piled up together. Place the lit charcoal closest to the vent and the unlit closest to the cooking chamber. This will allow the charcoal to slowly burn its way towards the grill and not all burn at once. Smoking wood chipsIf you use briquettes, even good competition briquettes, we highly recommend to also use smoking wood chips. Either harvest your own from fruit tree trimmings or other good smoking wood (ie. apple or stone fruit trimmings, hickory, pecan wood) or buy smoking chips. Briquettes alone need a little help to get a decent smoke flavor, but with all of the lump charcoal brands we’ve bought, we’ve haven’t needed to add any extra smoking chips or trimmings. The lump charcoal alone produces a great flavor in the meat. Maintain TemperatureYou don’t have to have an offset smoker to cook great BBQ. Nearly any smoker, even regular grills so long as you aren’t cooking over direct heat will do. The key is to maintain the temperature at a nice 225°F-275°F and have something in there (lump charcoal or smoking chips/wood) to impart a good smokey flavor to the meat. Don’t overdue the smokiness or else it will dominate the taste, but if you have just enough it will be magical. How Long to Smoke Ribs?Time factor for smoked pork ribs will vary depending on how thick your ribs are and what cut you are using. Usually you’ll find either St. Louis style ribs or Baby Back Ribs. They are two different cuts with the St. Louis having a bigger bone thus taking longer to cook. Both are delicious and everyone has their own individual preference. The ribs in the photos are a St. Louis cut. For the curious, here’s a great breakdown on the difference between St. Louis style Ribs and Baby Back Ribs. In regards to timing, if you maintain a smoking temperature between 225°F-275°F, St. Louis style ribs will usually take 5-6 hours to be perfect and Baby Back ribs will take 3-4 hours. Because of the bones temperature varying from the meat, you can’t really use a thermometer to tell when they are done. You have to go old school. Some will pick up a slab and gently bounce it. If the surface cracks it is done. Other’s will cut off a test rib and eat it. LOVE our Weber Charcoal Chimney Starter – Perfect way to light lump charcoal or briquettes. Season ribs with salt and pepper Make it a feast! We smoked a chicken too. Our smoked chicken recipe here. Brush-on your favorite sauce! We used our easy & kick-butt honey mustard sauce. LOVE the sauce! Heck yeah! Super tender, juicy but still with a great bite. Best BBQs & Tools for Smoking Meat:Some tools, grills, and smokers make BBQ and grilling all the more enjoyable. Here’s some of the favorites: The Ultimate BBQ Tongs –Avoid BBQ Tool Sets. We’ve yet to find a set where we love everything in it. Either the spatula or the tongs or the brush is wonky. Or there is stuff in there I never need. Do yourself a favor and just buy what you need a la carte. For grilling tongs, these bad boys are awesome.Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling – Have a grilling or BBQ question, you’ll most likely find an answer here. The most comprehensive grilling & BBQ book we’ve ever found, by far. He breaks down the science and myths, the tools, solid recipes, perfecting techniques, what’s BBQ competition tricks aren’t worth the extra time at home, and much more. You will be grill & BBQ enlightened.Oasity BBQ Light – Grilling should never be confined to the daylight. Love this BBQ light. Good brightness, solid magnets plus clamp option. We’ve gone through 1/2 dozen different grilling lights before falling in love with this one. Be ready to grill all night long.Oklahoma Joe’s Reverse Flow Offset Smoker – Love this offset smoker. Solid construction. Isn’t perfect, but with a couple easy modifications it will smoke as well as the $1k + smokers. Can use the main chamber also as a regular charcoal grill. Love using it as a regular grill using lump charcoal or briquettes. Huge cooking surface.Charbroil 4-burner Gas Grill – One of the best for the money. Solid gas grill! Nothing like the quick convenience of a good gas grill. Flame Boss Wifi Temperature Control – This recipe was originally published in 2017 and re-published in 2019 with a new video. Smoked Pork RibsYield: 4 People per slab Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 6 hrs Total Time: 6 hrs 10 mins We definitely prefer to use lump charcoal instead of briquettes. Lump charcoal alone will provide a nice smokey flavor, however briquettes, even competition smoking briquettes seem a little flat on the smoke flavor. If using briquettes we highly recommend to also use smoking wood chips. Either harvest your own from fruit or other good smoking wood (ie. apple or stone fruit trimmings, hickory, pecan wood) or buy smoking chips. You can use either St. Louis-style Ribs or Baby Back ribs. The St. Louis will take an hour or two longer because of the bigger bones.BBQ sauce is optional. Use your favorite sauce at the end of smoking the pork ribs. Here's a homemade sauce we love. 5 from 4 votes Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark PRINT RECIPE Review Save to Pinterest Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
Cooking ribs with a sauce, two options
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