How To Smoke Ribs

Are you craving meaty, delicious, tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs? Smoking ribs isn’t hard; I’ll show you how to smoke ribs – the best BBQ ribs you’ll ever eat – and in a few hours, you can roll up your sleeves and dig into a meal of smoked goodness!

Got yourself a grill and want to master ribs? I’m here to help with down-and-dirty tips, tricks, and a tried-and-true method for making show-stopping ribs. This method is a perfect beginner smoked ribs recipe, but it’s also great for anyone who just wants a tried-and-true no-fuss method for smoking ribs. 

Starting with a flavor-packed dry rub, these are the best damn finger-licking ribs on the block – pass the napkins and let’s get started!

What You’ll Need

Knowing how to smoke ribs on a grill starts by knowing what equipment and ingredients you’ll need. To make this easy smoked ribs recipe, you’ll need:

• A grill – With a tight-fitting lid.
• Foil pan – You’ll fill this with water.
• Wood chips – To give your ribs the perfect smoky flavor.
• Ribs – I use baby back ribs or St. Louis style ribs.
• Dry rub – Use your favorite dry rub for pork ribs in a smoker.
• Apple cider vinegar and a spray bottle – For spritzing (more on that below).
• BBQ sauce – Pick something a bit spicy, a bit sweet.
• Rib rack – Not essential, but this clever contraption can help the ribs get maximum smoke for maximum flavor.

What Kind of Ribs Are Best For Smoking?

Let’s talk about sexy pork ribs! I love using meaty baby back ribs, but the larger St. Louis style ribs work well, too. Baby back ribs vs. St. Louis ribs – what’s the difference? Baby back ribs are shorter, smaller ribs cut from the upper ribs (where the ribs meet the spine) and have nothing to do with baby pigs. St. Louis ribs are longer and meatier and are cut from closer to the belly.

Baby back ribs can be more tender, but they’re both tender and delicious when you’re cooking the ribs low and slow like this. The choice is yours – pick your spare ribs, and let’s get cooking!

What’s The Best Rib Rub?

For smoking spare ribs, I love a bold and assertive rub that’s got a good balance of spice and sweetness. Make your own or use a bought blend – it’ll all work! If you want a convenient pre-made mix in a jar that always wins, try Girls Can Grill Pork Rub!

How To Smoke Ribs

Prep your ribs by patting them dry and removing the membrane along the back of the ribs, if it hasn’t already been trimmed. To remove the membrane, cut a corner of it away from the ribs and grab the membrane with a paper towel and pull it away from the ribs. With a bit of muscle, it’ll pull away.

Rub the ribs in a heavy coating of the spice mixture, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and let them rest in the fridge for one hour.

Preheat your grill for indirect heat and arrange a small aluminum pan with a bit of water in it off on the side of the grill over the grate. 

Get your wood chips ready for smoking. If you’ve never done that before, wander over to this article and read about how to use wood chips on a gas grill. 

Arrange the ribs over indirect heat, cover, and cook for 45 minutes when the grill is ready.

Spritz the ribs with a light coating of the vinegar, close the grill again, and continue to cook, spritzing as needed, for 3 hours.

After the ribs are done cooking, baste the ribs in sauce and fire over high heat to get a nice sear. Remove quickly, rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

How To Smoke Ribs On A Gas Grill

The process is the same as above, except you’ll fire up the grill to get it to temperature, set the wood chips in place, and then turn down enough burners so that the ribs aren’t over direct heat. Then, follow the rest of the steps above!

Why Spritz Ribs?

Spritzing ribs is an important part of smoking pork ribs. I like to spritz the ribs every 45 minutes or so; this keeps them moist but also allows for the sugars in the apple cider vinegar to caramelize on the surface of the ribs, giving them that prized flavor-packed coating. 

Tips & Tricks

• Cook on indirect heat. Indirect heat is perfect for the low and slow cooking process to get super tender meat. The pork will quickly dry out and burn if you cook on direct heat.
• Sear quickly. Fire the pork ribs over high heat to get the sear but move them off quickly. If you leave them on too long, the sugars in the BBQ sauce will caramelize and burn very fast.
• Let it rest. After the pork ribs are done cooking, let them rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into them to allow the juices to redistribute into the meat. If you cut them too soon, the moisture will just seep out, and you’ll end up with dry meat.
• How long to smoke spare ribs? Give yourself some time – the best ribs are never rushed!

Serving Suggestions

You can slice the pork off the bone and serve it next to any of your favorite side dishes! Try it with roasted brussels sprouts, summer scallop and crab pasta, beef tallow furikake fries, or mashed potatoes. 

Storage

Leftover smoked pork ribs will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen, then microwave or warm on the stove until heated through.

Frequently Asked Questions

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