Pork Ribs on the Smoker
Ever since we purchased a smoker back in the spring, we have loved all things pork on the smoker!
These pork ribs are one of our favorite things to make (& eat) from the smoker!
Plan these for a day you are at home since the ribs take many hours to smoke on low heat! The best ribs have a 3 step process:
1 - smoked directly on the grill for a number of hours
2 - wrapped in foil with a little added moisture
3 - brushed with BBQ sauce and left on heat to caramelize the sauce just a bit
Trust me, it's all worth it!
Pork Ribs on the Smoker Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 to 4 racks of pork ribs (side ribs or baby back ribs)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar per rack of ribs
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of BBQ sauce for each rack of ribs (try this tangy homemade BBQ sauce)
Instructions:
Mix rub in a small bowl. Rub liberally all over both sides of the racks of ribs.
Heat smoker to 225F. Once pre-heated, place racks of ribs directly on the grill. Cook for approximately 5 hours.
Place each rack of ribs onto a large piece of tinfoil (one piece per rack). Pour 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar over each rack, then wrap the foil around and pinch foil together to make a foil packet. Place back in smoker for 2 hours.
Remove each rack from the smoker. Open the tinfoil packet, leaving the rack of ribs in a foil "boat" to contain the juices. Brush each rack of ribs with BBQ sauce, then return the foil-boats of ribs to the smoker.
Continue at 225F for another 1/2 hour until the BBQ sauce is thickened slightly.
Remove from the smoker and allow ribs to sit for 10 minutes before slicing them into individual ribs for serving.
The rub recipe included here is enough rub for 4 racks of ribs. If making 2 racks of ribs, transfer half of the rub mixture into an airtight mason jar before using the other half to rub the ribs (avoid contaminating the mixture with raw ribs).
You can find our homemade BBQ sauce recipe here. It's a dark and tangy BBQ sauce that is perfectly paired to ribs or for burgers, meatloaf, or BBQ pizza.