Smoked Pork Ribs Recipe

The Ultimate Smoked Pork Ribs Recipe

If you enjoy a little bit of barbecue during the long summer months then you are going to love this easy recipe for smoking ribs like the pro's. I like it because you it uses just whatever you happen to have instead of requiring specific ingredients. You can use pretty much any type of ribs: baby back ribs, spare ribs, beef ribs, or what ever you have handy and you can use the seasonings that you already have as your bbq rib rub.

Items Needed:

• 2 to 3 racks of fresh pork spare ribs, baby back ribs, or beef ribs
  
• 1 cup mustard - any kind will do
  
• Spices (whatever you have handy is fine)
• 2 small sized pieces of oak or similar wood for smoking
• 1 bottle of barbecue sauce
  
• Heavy duty grade aluminum foil
• Barbecue grill, meat smoker grill, or gas grill

Pork Rib Rub

• For the spice pork rib rub, you can use anything that you have handy. Base it on your tastes. Here is rib rub general guide of all spices but some of the main ones that ribs smokers commonly use are: salt and pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion powder, paprika. Mix together and set aside.
  

Preparation of BBQ Pork Ribs

• Rinse pork ribs or babyback ribs in cold water and pat dry. If ribs are not already trimmed, then trim according to your preference, taking care not to cut too much off.
• Use a barbecue brush or a spoon to coat both sides of the pork ribs in mustard. Use a lot; it will cook off during the cooking process anyway.
• Sprinkle your rib rub on both sides of the rib racks, use as much as you like. Put racks on a large cookie sheet or pan, cover loosely (make a foil tent so as not to knock the seasoning off) with foil and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preparation of Wood

• Soak the wood chunks in water. If you do not have wood chunks, the grocery stores usually sell bags of them, or you can simply use sticks that you gather from around your yard.
• You can spice up the water that you are soaking the wood in with your favorite spices. Use a lot. Save the water when you are done because you make want to add more wood to it or use it in the smoker as a baster/evaporator.
  

Preparation of Grill

• For a wood smoker grill, start the fire as normal in the firebox side; I find it easier to use regular charcoal to get it started with, which allows me to save the wood for the smoking process.
• For a charcoal grill, start your fire as normal with a pyramid of charcoal. Try to set the grill up so that charcoal is off to one side.
  
• For a gas grill, preheat on low. For all future reference in this recipe, for you gas grill users, wrap the wood chunks in foil and punch large holes in the top of the foil pouches. Try to make the pouches flat. Many recommend using a fork to puncture the foil but this does not allow enough smoke out -- make the holes about 1 to 2 inches around.
• When coals are hot enough (you do not have to wait until they turn gray, just as long as they are hot enough to ignite the wood you are about to put on), shake water off of wood and place on coals. Again, do not follow this step if you are using a gas grill -- instead put the wood into foil pouches. Keep grills covered because you do not want the wood to burn off too fast - we want it to smolder.
  

Cooking Barbecue Pork Ribs (or beef ribs)

• Place the bbq ribs on the grates and put grill lid down, allowing only enough air into the fire to keep it going. Do not let it flame up.
  
• Try to place ribs off to one side if you are using a regular charcoal grill. Also for charcoal grills, put ribs on top shelf and separate them from the direct heat of the fire with either a couple sheets of foil or an old non-coated cookie sheet.
• Allow bbq pork ribs to smoke for approximately five hours, adding wood as necessary. If you still have your wood marinade left, place it on the grill as well (in a small metal bowl). The water will evaporate slowly and keep the meat tenderized and basted. Make sure that you keep the smokestack or exhaust point of your grill open in order to allow the toxic fumes to vent properly.
  
• Keep heat away from meat as much as possible, but try to maintain a safe cooking temperature of at least 250 degrees.
  
• After ribs have smoked, bring inside and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Double wrap in aluminum foil. Put ribs in oven and slow cook for 3 to 5 hours at 250 degrees. Leave pork ribs in foil while oven cooking.
  
• Next, take baby back or pork ribs our of foil and pour barbecue sauce over ribs. Leave ribs out of foil and put belly-side-down on clean cookie sheet or baking pan.
  
• Preheat oven to broil. Put them under the broiler until barbecue sauce layer crisps up a bit and they are of a barbecue color that is nice and caramelized. If you don't want to heat up your stove then just use your grill to bake the barbecue sauce onto the baby back ribs.
  
• Remove from broiler or grill and allow to cool for ten minutes before serving.
  

I recommend serving with skin-on potato wedges, our barbecue baked beans, and home made rolls. This approach also works great as a smoked brisket recipe.

ENJOY!