Are you craving fall-off-the-bone tender ribs with an irresistible smokey flavor? From selecting the perfect rack of ribs to mastering the art of low and slow smoking, get ready to elevate your barbecue game. Prepare to impress with every bite of this mouthwatering smoked pork spare ribs recipe!
Table of Contents
In this recipe:
There’s something about a perfectly smoked rack of ribs thats hard to top. And when it comes to smoker recipes, these ribs take time, but the end results are well worth it. We’re hitting these with a simple rub and hanging them in a drum smoker (with tips on gas and pellet smokers) over a low temperature to show you how easy it can be to get finger-licking bbq ribs in your backyard.
Smoked pork spare ribs are a delicious and classic barbecue dish that is perfect for any occasion. Whether you’re hosting a backyard BBQ with friends or having a family dinner, smoked pork ribs are sure to please everyone’s taste buds.
The Cut: Pork Spare Ribs
We get it; there are so many types of pork ribs at the market that knowing which to pick from and choosing the right cut can be overwhelming. The truth is there isn’t the best cut; it’s the cut you prefer.
Pork spare ribs are big ribs that come at the lower portion of the pig’s rib cage below baby back ribs. They are known for meaty bites with rich flavor that make juicy, tender ribs and delicious meat because of the perfect balance of meat and fat. They take well to a variety of seasonings and rib rubs and are perfect for grilling.
We recommend trimming spare ribs before cooking them, which essentially turns them into St. Louis Style ribs. This helps by removing uneven portions for a better overall cook for your entire rack of ribs.
Ingredients
This recipe only requires a few ingredients for big smoky flavor. If it’s your first time learning how to smoke ribs or you’re an experienced pro, these couldn’t be easier.
- 2 racks of pork spare ribs – trimmed
- Mustard – regular yellow mustard works great. This is simply a binder for the spices.
- Kosher salt
- Girls Can Grill Pork Rub – or your favorite pork bbq seasoning blend. We love this one for it’s balanced flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – this is for spritzing the ribs to keep them moist. You can also use apple juice, a vinegar mop, or even beer.
- Homemade bbq sauce – or your favorite thick and tangy bbq sauce
How to Make Smoked Pork Spare Ribs
When it comes to smoking ribs, we love a good charcoal grill. For these ribs, we hung them in our Pit Barrel Cooker. A drum smoker is just that, a smoker made to resemble a 55-gallon drum, also called an ugly drum smoker. There’s an air vent cut into the bottom for airflow. It’s basic, easy to use, cost-effective, and fuel-efficient. See our notes below for a traditional charcoal grill.
Prep the ribs
- Remove the ribs from the package and pat them dry with a paper towel. We like to use two-rimmed baking sheets to make clean-up easier when prepping ribs.
- Trim the pork spare ribs, and then using one hand, rub them on both sides with mustard.
- Using your clean hand, sprinkle the ribs with a liberal coating of salt and the bbq rub. Gently flip the ribs with your dirty hand and coat the back of the ribs with the seasonings as well to coat both sides of the ribs.
- Wrap the seasoned ribs in a double-layer plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
Prep the smoker
- When ready to smoke, prep your charcoal by filling a charcoal chimney with lump charcoal. Light the chimney with all-natural fire starters and let the charcoal heat up until it’s about 70% covered with ash.
- Carefully add the charcoal to one side of your smoker. Add wood chunks at this time if using. Adjust the air vents as needed, close the lid, allow the smoke to run clean (known as blue smoke), and the grill to preheat to around 225 to 250 degrees F before adding the ribs.
Smoke the ribs
- When ready to smoke the ribs, place the ribs on the cooler side of the grill and cover with the lid.
- Because we used the Pit Barrel Smoker, the example pictures shown show the ribs being hung. They are hung on the cool side of the grill. The shape of the drum smoker allows the warmth to cycle around for even convection heat.
- After about an hour and a half, check the ribs and start spritzing them with your apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle. Make sure your fuel doesn’t need to be refilled and that the grill temperature is holding steady and even heat. If you need to add more charcoal, there’s no need to add more wood chunks. Too much smoke can cause food to develop an acrid taste that’s off-putting.
- Continue to spritz the ribs every 30 to 45 minutes until they reach 195 to 200 degrees F.
Baste the ribs
- Carefully remove the ribs from the smoker and brush them with your barbecue sauce. Place them back in the grill and cover the lid to let the sauce set, for another 10 to 20 minutes.
- Pull the ribs from the smoker when they have reached around 205 to 210 degrees F with an instant-read meat thermometer.
Rest and Serve
- Allow the ribs to rest on a clean cutting board tented with aluminum foil for 10 minutes before slicing between the bones to serve.
Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
We used and recommend Cowboy Brand All-natural Lump Charcoal and Cherry Wood Chunks for this recipe.
For a classic Charcoal Grill
Prep the ribs as instructed in the recipe card and set up your charcoal grill for indirect heat. Place the ribs over the cooler side of the grill grates, bone side down, and cover. Cook as instructed, rotating the ribs every time you spritz them for even cooking.
For a Gas Grill
Prep the ribs, and when ready to grill, turn your gas grill into a smoker using a smoking box loaded with wood chips and set the grill up for indirect heat by turning all but one burner to low or medium and preheating the grill to 225-250 degrees F. Cook the ribs on the cooler side of the grill, replacing the wood chips every 45 minutes for the first 2 hours. When ready to spritz, be sure to rotate the racks of ribs for even cooking.
Consider using a rib rack holder to make this process easier on a gas grill.
For a Pellet Smoker
Prep the spare ribs as instructed, and when ready to smoke, set up your Traeger pellet smoker for 225 degrees F. We love using Jack Daniels Charcoal pellets for added smoke flavor when using our pellet grill. Smoke the ribs, as instructed in the recipe.
Side dishes for Smoked Ribs
When it comes to what to serve with smoked spare ribs, we’re a fan of classic barbecue side dishes like smoked mac and cheese, creamy cole slaw, smoky potato salad, maybe some deviled eggs, and of course, crisp pickles. Oh, and smoked baked beans always hit the spot at any bbq.
Leftovers and Reheating
Any leftover ribs can be wrapped in the same foil you tented them in or stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can slice all the delicious ribs ahead of time or leave them as portions of the rack and reheat them, wrapped in foil, in an oven preheated to 325 degrees. Depending on how many you’re reheating, this takes about 10-15 minutes.
Use up leftover ribs as a random snack or shred the meat from the bones for BBQ rib hash or tacos.
FAQs
When smoking, always cook to temp, not time. However, on average, smoking spare ribs at 225-225°F takes around 4 to 6 hours.
We love ribs low and slow smoked between 225°F and 250°F until the internal temperature of the ribs reaches around 205°F with a digital thermometer for the best results.
You don’t have to remove it, but by removing the membrane from the back of the ribs, the smoke and flavors penetrate better and makes for a better chew when serving.
Ribs are great with cherry wood for a pop of subtle fruit flavor and color, but we also love apple, hickory, or post oak, whether it’s chunks, wood chips, or pellets.
To prevent the ribs from drying out, we recommend spitting the ribs with apple cider vinegar after the first hour and a half of cook time and every 30 to 45 minutes after that.
Wrapping ribs is often done when using the 321 ribs method. This is a great way to keep moisture in the ribs and lock in flavor, but for this recipe, we hang them over charcoal for the entire cook for a robust smokey flavor and spritz to keep the moisture up.
More smoked rib recipes
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Memphis Style Smoked Spare Ribs
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Traeger 3-2-1 Ribs
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How To Smoke Ribs
Pork Recipes
Smoked St. Louis Ribs
Now that you’ve mastered this savory smoked ribs recipe, there’s no excuse not to host an amazing neighborhood barbecue and show off your skills. If you’ve followed this recipe, please rate it in the recipe card and drop a comment to help out the next guy.
Smoked Pork Spare Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork spare ribs 2 racks, trimmed with the membrane removed
- 3 tbsp Mustard regular yellow mustard works great. This is simply a binder for the spices.
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 3 tbsp Girls Can Grill Pork Rub or your favorite pork bbq seasoning blend. We love this one for it’s balanced flavor.
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar this is for spritzing the ribs to keep them moist. You can also use apple juice a vinegar mop, or even beer.
- 1/2 cup Homemade bbq sauce
Instructions
PREP THE RIBS
- Remove the ribs from the package and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Trim the pork spare ribs and remove the membrane.
- Rub them on both sides with mustard.
- Liberally coat the ribs with the salt and bbq dry rubs on both sides.
- Wrap the ribs in a double layer of plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 8 hours, up to overnight.
PREP THE SMOKER
- Prep your charcoal by filling a charcoal chimney with lump charcoal.
- Light the chimney with all-natural fire starters and let the charcoal heat up until it’s about 70% covered with ash.
- Carefully add the charcoal to one side of your smoker.
- Add wood chunks at this time if using.
- Adjust the air vents as needed, close the lid, allow the smoke to run clean, and allow the grill to preheat to around 225 to 250 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes.
SMOKE THE RIBS
- Place the ribs on the cooler side of the grill and cover with the lid.
- After about an hour and a half, check the ribs and using a spray bottle filled with the cider vinegar or mop, sprits the ribs.
- This is a good time to check to make sure the grill doesn’t need more fuel.
- Continue to spritz the ribs every 30 to 45 minutes until they reach 195 to 200 degrees F.
BASTE THE RIBS
- Carefully remove the ribs from the smoker.
- Lay the ribs on a clean work surface and brush them with your barbecue sauce.
- Return the ribs to the grill and cover the lid to let the sauce set, for another 10 to 20 minutes.
- Pull the ribs from the smoker when they have reached around 205 to 210 degrees F with an instant-read meat thermometer.
REST AND SERVE
- Allow the ribs to rest on a clean cutting board tented with aluminum foil for 10 minutes.
- To serve, use a sharp knife to slice between the bones to serve.
Notes
FOR A CLASSIC CHARCOAL GRILL
Prep the ribs as instructed in the recipe card and set up your charcoal grill for indirect heat. Place the ribs over the cooler side of the grill grates, bone side down, and cover. Cook as instructed, rotating the ribs every time you spritz them for even cooking.FOR A GAS GRILL
Prep the ribs, and when ready to grill, turn your gas grill into a smoker using a smoking box loaded with wood chips and set the grill up for indirect heat by turning all but one burner to low or medium and preheating the grill to 225-250 degrees F. Cook the ribs on the cooler side of the grill, replacing the wood chips every 45 minutes for the first 2 hours. When ready to spritz, be sure to rotate the racks of ribs for even cooking. Consider using a rib rack holder to make this process easier on a gas grill.FOR A PELLET SMOKER
Prep the spare ribs as instructed, and when ready to smoke, set up your Traeger pellet smoker for 225 degrees F. We love using Jack Daniels Charcoal pellets for added smoke flavor when using our pellet grill. Smoke the ribs, as instructedNutrition
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