Dang! These Smoked Rib Recipes Are Great! Enjoy Some Smoky Ribs Today! (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flavor to smoke ribs? ›

Whether you prefer cooking wood logs or smoking chunks, you can't go wrong with cherry when smoking ribs. Cherry offers a subtle smokey sweet flavor that works well for ribs. It complements the natural flavor of ribs to provide a flavor that's simply out of this world.

Brine the Ribs with Liquid Smoke

Brine the ribs in a mixture of sugar, salt, and water to season the meat throughout and help it retain more moisture during the long cooking time, making for juicier ribs. Add liquid smoke to that mix for deep smoky flavor.

Most ribs hit their sweet spot for doneness around 198 degrees F, but some take until 203 degrees F to be perfectly tender. This spread in final temperature is one reason why thermometers are a great jumping off-point for rib perfection, but not the be-all-end-all indicator.

Start by placing your ribs directly on the grill grates of the smoker for 3 hours to infuse the meat with that good, smoky flavor. 2 hours wrapped. Next up, wrap those smoky ribs in foil (usually with brown sugar, apple cider, butter, and other goodies) for 2 hours to add more flavor and keep that rib meat juicy.

Fruit juices, like apple juice, can help tenderize ribs. Pineapple juice can help with really tough meat. It contains enzymes that help break down fibers in meat.

Smoked Paprika

It is a fantastic way to imbue foods with a smoky, woodsy flavor without smoking them.

One thing is certain about ribs and pork: If you overcook them, they do become dry and tough. There is something very important to learn with the “low and slow” cooking method employed here. Food is ready when it's ready. Not to be evasive, but for the most part, you cannot judge simply by cooking time.

(Also, it's best to apply it the night before, so it can really seep into the meat and give it incredible flavor. Make sure you securely wrap the ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.) After smoking for a couple hours, the honey, butter, and brown sugar are added.

Baby back ribs are a very forgiving cut of meat — they're hard to overcook. The best way to avoid overcooking is to take your time. Keep the ribs at a low temperature.

Place ribs bone-side down in smoker at 225 F /110 C and cook for three hours. Remove ribs from the smoker and wrap tightly in aluminum foil to form an airtight seal. Return to the smoker bone-side up and smoke for two hours. Unwrap the ribs and return to the smoker bone-side down for one more hour.

Do you smoke ribs meat side up or meat side down? ›

Smoke the ribs, meaty side up, for 3 hours. Leave smoker on at 225 F degrees and place ribs on foil sheets. Sprinkle rack of ribs on both sides with half of brown sugar and honey, then top with 2 Tbsp of butter.

If you want your ribs to be more flavorful and juicy, boiling them will render out a lot of the fat. This will also cause the natural juices of the ribs to release into the boil. You don't want this, if your end goal is juicy ribs.

I've already alluded to the major advantage of spare ribs: They have more fat marbled throughout the meat and are immensely more flavorful than baby backs. The downside to spare ribs, however, is that the meat is a lot tougher than the meat on baby back ribs, so it takes a lot longer to cook spares.

You have to be more selective with the St Louis ribs. The meaty rib is heartier and will fill you up faster, plus it is leaner and healthier for you. If you are looking to watch your figure and stick with a diet while still enjoying some delicious ribs, then the baby back ribs are the right choice.

Best for Ribs:

Hickory pellets provide a bold, assertive flavor that enhances BBQ pork ribs.

Ribs, for instance, are delicious when cooked properly but can easily become dry and tough when overcooked. The solution is to season them overnight, so the meat absorbs all of the seasoning's flavor before it's cooked.