Sweet Smoked Barbecue Pork Ribs
Homemade Smoked Barbecue Pork Ribs
My husband bought a smoker last year. He’s gotten pretty good at smoking pork baby back ribs in it. To the point he prefers his own to what he gets at restaurants. Check out his rub recipe and how he’s making delicious smoked barbecue pork ribs. These are not the fall off the bone ribs. They are smoky sticky caramelized goodness that make these gnaw off the bone good.
This is a sweet rub, not super spicy. It will leave a little tingle on your lips.
Using a smoker requires getting it up to temp, having moisture and wood chips in it. It also requires you keep an eye on them so you can feed in more chips, water as needed to get that smoky flavor you want. You will finish the ribs off on your grill to add another layer of sticky goodness. Add potatoes into the smoker for an extra delicious side.
How Long Should I Marinate Ribs Before Smoking?
The ribs should be room temperature before smoking. We typically prepare the ribs and let them sit with rub on them while we wait for the smoker to come to temperature. We will get the ribs ready and then go and get the wood chips (which should already be in water soaking). Then the smoker is brought outside and lit to come up to temp. The wood chips are put in and then the ribs are placed inside to smoke.
Should I Use A Water Pan While Smoking The Ribs?
Yes. This keeps the ribs from drying out and keeps the humidity high. If you don’t use one, the meat will dry out. We put wood chips in the water pan that have been soaked in water to give a smoke flavor, pick your favorite wood, hickory and apple wood are a couple of our favorites.
Do I Need to Moisten the Ribs While Smoking?
Yes, we use a mix of 50-50 apple cider vinegar and water every 30 minutes on the ribs to keep them from becoming dry.
Serve with corn bread and enjoy.
Tips for Smoking Ribs
- Removing the silver skin makes the ribs easier to eat.
- You will want to make the rub and then put a little into a bowl, so you don’t contaminate the entire batch (that you can use later).
- You may want to wear gloves as the paprika in the rub can stain your hands.
- Check the ribs every 30 minutes and spray them with the apple cider/water mix.
- Make sure the wood chips stay wet. Soak them before you begin putting the rub on the ribs.
- You will want the wood to stay wet in the smoker so you will need to add water so it smokes. You will need to add in wood chips too to keep it smoking.
- It’s important to take the step to put the ribs on the grill to add the barbeque sauce and carnalize it.
- We smoked pork ribs, but you could use beef ribs.
Sweet Smoked Barbecue Pork Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 Tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 rack of pork baby back ribs cut in half
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Bring your smoker up to temperature 200-250F.
- Mix the spices and sugar together.
- When using a whole rack of ribs, cut them in half. They will fit easier into the smoker.
- Generously apply it to the ribs on all sides.
- Put the ribs in the smoker with the water basin and wood chips on the bottom.
- You will want to keep the smoker temp between 200-250 (225 is optimal).
- Every 30 minutes, check the smoker to make sure there is water and wood chips, fill as needed. Spray the ribs with an apple cider/water blend (50/50) when you check on them.
- Cook the ribs for 5-6 hours.
- Once you have smoked the ribs for 5-6 hours, turn your grill on high. Place the ribs on the grill and add the barbecue sauce. Bake the ribs on high for 5 minutes. Repeat on the other side.
- Serve with corn bread and enjoy.
Video
